A Diocese of Orange School
An International Baccalaureate World School
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SONG TEAMS
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. Both our JV and Varsity teams are comprised of highly motivated and talented girls who take pride in representing SM. They love the camaraderie our team atmosphere offers them and the 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 both in college and professionally, and 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, 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!
FB Game & Performance: September 27th 6pm-8:30pm- Tesoro HS Stadium. Wear your Blue Jr. Eagles t-shirt with white bow (both provided at clinic) and black bottoms of choice.
Please check-in on the right side of the stadium closest to the baseball fields (look for our table).
6pm Check-In
7pm Game Kick Off
8pm* Halftime
Dancers are excused after our halftime performance. Parents should meet by gate to pick up their dancers. Look for the Jr. Eagles Song/Dance signs!
Here are the videos and music of the dances for your review. Thanks so much for attending!!
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 6th year as the Head Coach and 3nd year as the Dance Director!
Varsity Assistant 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 8th season of coaching at SMCHS!
EDF Coach- Kailey Lagestee '21
Kailey Lagestee grew up in Orange County, California, where her love for dance began at a young age. She is an alumna of Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where she competed on both the Varsity Song and Dance Team. Kailey recently graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Child Development. During her time there, she was a four-year member and three-year captain of their nationally ranked dance team, competing in both the D1A jazz and D1A hip hop divisions at UDA College Nationals.
During the summers at San Diego State, Kailey worked for the Universal Dance Association (UDA), where she had the opportunity to teach dancers across the country and expand her knowledge in teaching, choreography, and coaching.
She is continuing her dance journey as a Los Angeles Rams Cheerleader.
EDF Operations Coordinator- McKenna Sulick '18
McKenna Sulick began dancing at three years old and spent her childhood training and competing in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and contemporary styles. She is an SMCHS alumni, where she was a four-year member of the Song program and an IB dance student. After graduating from SM in 2018, McKenna enrolled at Chapman University where she earned degrees in creative writing and psychology. McKenna also kept up with her love of dance while in college, taking jazz, modern and ballet courses at Chapman in the university’s nationally recognized dance program. She currently works at SM in the college counseling, activities and communications departments, and as an independent college essay specialist and freelance writer. She is so excited to be part of the EDF coaching staff!
Varsity Consultant- 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!
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.
Nicole Geis '15 - SDSU Dance Team - Laker Girls
Mackenzie Marks '16 - TCU Elite Dance Team
Anika Lieber '16 - University of Oregon Dance Team - 49ers Gold Rush Cheerleader
Katie Stoddard '16 - University of Wisconsin Dance Team
Nicole Renna '16 - USC Song
Samantha Moreno '17 - University of Arizona Pomline - Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader
Natalie Hogue '18 - University of Oregon Dance Team - Seattle Seahawks Dancer
Alexis Zertuche '19 - Grand Canyon University Dance Team
Sydnee Leet '19 - USC Song
Olivia Orsini '21 - TCU Showgirls
Ava McCoy '22 - SDSU Dance Team
Katrina Lattin '23 - USC Song
Reagan Marks '23 - TCU Elite Dance Team
Marina Medica '23 - ECU Dance Team
Kylie Kwon '24 - UCLA Spirit Squad
Katie Vlasic '24 - Cal Dance Team
Bailey Michaelian-Marks '24 - UC Irvine Dance Team
Nicky Garofalo '24 - Los Angeles Rams Cheerleader
Sage Reeves '24 - Notre Dame Pom Squad
Natalie de Leon '25 - Clemson University Tiger Dancer
Adriana Krall '25 - University of San Diego Dance Team
Alexa Krall '25 - University of San Diego Dance Team
Ranking for the 2024-2025 Season
USA Regional University HS- 1st Place!
USA Regional Portola HS- 1st Place!
USSL Regional- 1st Place!
UDA West Coast Championship- 1st Place!
NDTC- Top 6 in the Nation!! World Divisions 2nd Pom & 3rd Jazz!
USA Nationals- National Champions!! Both Varsity & JV Pom/Song Advanced divisions!
