A Diocese of Orange School
An International Baccalaureate World School
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SONG TEAMS
National Championship teams compete in Pom/Song & Jazz divisions!
SMCHS Song is a program for dancers striving to promote school spirit, support athletics, and represent their school in the competitive spirit industry.
We are an award winning competitive song/dance program that competes in Pom and Jazz on the regional and national level. Over the years, the SM Song teams have won numerous awards and National titles. There is a JV and Varsity team, both comprised of highly motivated and talented girls that take pride in representing SM. They love the camaraderie the team atmosphere brings them and special moments they experience together.
If you are interested in dancing in college or professionally, we are here to guide you in your journey. Our coaches have danced in college and professionally. They have an extensive network of choreographers and directors in the industry. We would love to guide your dancers in their future endeavors. Our alumni dance at many colleges including UCLA, USC, Cal Berkeley, UCI, TCU, Oregon, Wisconsin, SDSU, U of Arizona, UNLV, Boston U, & GCU. Also for professional teams such as Rams Cheerleaders, Laker Girls, Arizona Cardinals, 49er's & Charger Girls...just to name a few!
Danielle has over 25 years of experience coaching, teaching and choreographing dance. She started dancing at the age of 3 and has been professionally trained in various styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, pom/song, theater, character, modern, pointe & lyrical. At the age of 13 she was chosen as a member of the Tremaine Dance Company and trained with world renowned choreographers in the dance/entertainment industry. She had the opportunity to dance for various live events, videos, TV, and films, such as Austin Powers, The International Man of Mystery, WB Dubba Commercial, Christy’s Buss Dancin’ Videos, & Napoli for The Royal Danish Ballet. Danielle also has experience working behind the scenes in the dance/entertainment industry. Danielle worked for MSA Agency, top dance/choreography talent agency in Hollywood. Their clients work can be seen everywhere on film, TV, and stage! Some of the projects she worked on included, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars, the High School Musical franchise, Michael Jackson's This Is It, just to name a few! Danielle is a graduate from UC Irvine and was the captain of their dance team for 3 years. She was a member of the United Spirit Association where she served as a Head Instructor and a member of their Program Development staff. She currently judges for various event producers when she is not with her teams competing. Danielle has coached and choreographed for numerous dance and Song teams throughout the United States including high school, college, semi-pro, and pro teams, including the LA Laker Girls, 49er Gold Rush Cheerleaders, San Diego Charger Girls, & OC Gladiators. During the past 24 years of coaching, her teams have won numerous national titles and awards including Innovative Choreography, Technical Excellence, Superior Showmanship, Best in Category, Grand Champions, & the Bronze Medal at USASF’s Dance Worlds. In 2013, Danielle was named CheerPros “Dance Coach of the Year”! She loves sharing her passion for dance and her competitive spirit to motivate and push her dancers to be the best they can be. Danielle takes pride in her dancers and dedicates herself fully by investing in each of her dancers’ growth and development. This is Danielle's 13th season coaching at SMCHS and is excited to continue her 5th year as the Head Coach and 2nd year as the Dance Director!
Varsity Competition Coach- Nicole Cestone
We are thrilled to have Nicole on our coaching staff! She was our past Song Program Director for 10 seasons! She currently is the West Coast State Director for Varsity Brands including USA, UDA, and NDA! She judges for various competitions both regionally and nationally. She currently teaches at PAVE School of the Arts and directs their PAVE Pro Competition Teams. She has choreographed for high school, college, and pro teams for many years and has won numerous awards and titles. She has an extensive background dancing, teaching and choreographing in the dance and spirit industries! She graduated from UCLA, where she was a member and captain of their dance team for 3 years. She was also a past USA Program Director and instructor, teaching 1000's of dancers and cheerleaders across the US and abroad. Nicole looks forward to an amazing season!
JV Song/Dance Coach- Audrey Eagan '19
We are excited to have Audrey on our coaching staff! Audrey started dancing at the age of 3 at Cal Elite where she trained in the styles of jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern, hip hop, musical theatre, lyrical, tap, and acro. She joined the competition team at the age of 5 and competed with them until she was 16. She is a Santa Margarita alumni and was on the dance team from 2015-2019, and an IB dance student her junior and senior years. She recently graduated from Washington State University where she was on the Crimson Girls dance team for four years. At WSU, she had the opportunity to compete in the jazz and gameday categories at UDA nationals in Florida, travel for tournaments and bowl games, and represent the university at home football and basketball games. Audrey is excited to be back at SMCHS and to help make this an amazing season!
EDF Coach- Katie Barry '12
We are excited to have Katie back on our coaching staff! Katie Barry is an SMCHS alum from the Class of 2012 and former SMCHS Varsity Songleader and has over 20 years of dance training and experience in Jazz, Pom, Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Hip-hop styles. She has over 8 years of experience coaching and teaching throughout the all-star and high school dance communities and, as a dancer, has competed at UDA Nationals, USA Spirit Nationals, USA All-Star Nationals, NDA All-Star Nationals, and more. Katie has assisted in choreographing routines around the country, and her teams have won USA Nationals in the JV Song Pom Advanced division in 2017 and NDA Nationals in 2018. Outside of coaching, Katie enjoys a successful career as a professional graphic designer, specializing in brand strategy, brand identity, and UX/UI design. She received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Interactive Communication from Cal State Fullerton. Katie is thrilled to be back as an Eagle as she enters her 7th season of coaching at SMCHS!
You must upload your current physical as part of this process. Physical forms are valid for 365 days from the original date of service (either 24/25 form or 25/26 form are fine). Available to download on our webpage. https://www.smhs.org/athletics/sports-medicine
When selecting the school, we are listed as "Santa Margarita"
STUDENT ID INFORMATION: For incomingfreshman: type "unknown" in the "Student ID" field. For returning SM athletes: type in your SMCHS Student ID in the "Student ID" field.
Physical must be completed by a MD or a DO. Physician Assistant is ok with a doctor’s office stamp. All others will NOT be accepted.
All Candidates- Bring to tryout clinic registration on May 5th:
Current headshot picture
Signed Rules & Policies- Signature page ONLY of EDF Rules & Policies signed by parent and student. Please keep other pages for your records. *Please read through completely.
For NEW, non-returning members:
Email screenshot/print out of Fall Semester Grades- must have min 2.5 GPA from Fall Semester to audition.
1 letter of recommendation from dance teacher stating dance skills, attitude, & work ethic- please have teacher email directly to darwazehd@smhs.org.
Song & Dance Team Mandatory Clinics & Audition Information
Tryout Mandatory Clinics:
May 5th & 6th 3:30-5:30pm (registration begins at 3:15pm)
Dance Room (R Building 2nd Floor)
Please wear SM color top, black bottoms, and jazz shoes/paws. Hair should be secure in ponytail or bun, bring water.
EDF Audition:
May 7th 3-6pm
Dance Room (R Building 3rd Floor)
Please wear SM color top, black bottoms, and jazz shoes/paws. Dancers should wear performance make-up, hair in ponytail or bun. Please arrive 30 min before scheduled audition time. Audition times will be assigned on May 6th after the clinic and posted to our webpage.
Audition Results:
Results will be posted here under Audition Results by Saturday evening, May 10th.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Welcome Party/Fittings: May 12th 3:30-5:30pm in Dance Room. Parent Meeting following at 5:30pm in SLH.
Spring practices begin in May and will be 1x/week for JV Song & Dance Team. 2x/week for Varsity Song to prepare for camp.
Summer practices will be held Monday-Thursday to allow weekend travel to clinics, workshops, trips, etc.
Summer Vacation Dates: June 27th -July 13th
*If member misses more than 3 practices during the summer, dancer will be removed from an upcoming performance to be fair to all. If planning to miss more than 5 practices, the dancer will not be eligible for the program. Please notify Director asap if known conflict.
What does Song do? We are a fusion of an athletic team, activity, and art! We cheer/dance at football and basketball games. We perform at rallies and special events throughout the year. We compete nationally in Pom & Jazz!
When does the season begin/end? We start right after tryouts in May and finish in March after our Nationals. We have 2-3 weeks off in the summer! We do practice 3x's week and attend UDA convention camp in Indian Wells, CA, June 16-19th 2025.
How much does the program cost? Every year it varies based off number in the program, but the range is from $5000-$5900 depending on what team you are selected for. It covers everything for the season.
What is EDF? Eagle Dance Force (EDF) is the name of our competitive dance program that joins the forces of our Song and Dance Teams! We offer master classes throughout the year taught by industry professionals, as well as crossover competition routines with Song and Dance teams.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to Coach Darwazeh- darwazehd@smhs.org.
Left to right: Camille Strier, Presley Johnston, Gianna Salata, Alexa Krall, Mia Cova, Kiana Shadjareh, Nicole Leontas, Clara Cestone, Grace O'Connor, Adrianna Krall, Ava Sherwood, Natalie de Leon, Gelli Ignacio, Avery Guthrie, Ava Woinarowicz, Brooke Vurpillat
Left to right: Presley Johnston, Kiana Shadjareh, Nicole Leontas, Adriana Krall, Grace O'Connor, Alexa Krall, Avery Guthrie, Mia Cova, Camille Strier, Gianna Salata, Ava Sherwood, Ava Woinarowicz, Brooke Vurpillat, Natalie de Leon, Brooke Burnor, Madisyn Forbes, Gelli Ignacio, Kaia Ayres, Irelyn Sauritch. Not pictured- Clara Cestone.
Left to right: Natalie Leontas, Ellie Raine, Charlotte Boyd, Ella Mulvihill, Sofia Zavalo, Mae Volz, Ava Salata, Mary Jane Hedges, Mia Maroutsos, Aspen Taylor, Masen Lambert, Viv Miller, Laurel Hedges, Lauren Saint, Izzie Bush, Catherine Miller Jones. Not pictured- Izzie Stuart & Nina Dahl.
NATIONALS 2024
Congrats to our Song teams this season!! All 4 teams won at USA Nationals!! Clean sweep!
In addition, congrats to Varsity Song on their accomplishments this season at the National Dance Team Championship! They won 1st in the World Championships, Jazz Division! In addition, they scored the highest score out of all US teams.
