Dance
25-26 Shows:
December 13th : Winter Dance Showcase
6:00pm @ Wesley Chapel Center for the Arts
May 23rd: Spring Dance Showcase
6:00pm @ Wesley Chapel Center for the Arts
About The Program:
The LOLHS Dance Program, led by Ms. Cressman, provides students with the opportunity to expand their education and artistry through multiple styles of dance. Across six course levels, students develop the skills to become well-rounded dancers, performers, and choreographers.
All students in Dance Techniques 1–4H participate in both the Winter and Spring Showcases, while Choreography 1 and 2H students have the unique opportunity to create original, stage-ready works for the Spring Showcase.
Ms. Cressman’s teaching emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and creativity, fostering a safe and supportive environment where students can discover their artistic voice. The program is designed not only to prepare students for success in dance but also to help them grow as confident individuals, ready to thrive in college, career, and life.
ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS MUST READ AND SIGN THE DANCE SYLLABUS PROVIDED AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
Courses:
Dance Techniques 1: No audition required.
Dance Techniques 2, 3 Honors, 4 Honors: Requires teacher approval or an audition (see curriculum guide for details).
Choreography 1/2H: No audition required, but students must have 1–2 years of prior dance experience. Since students will be teaching peers, they should already have a solid understanding of dance mechanics, technique, and vocabulary.
Important Things to Know:
Daily Grade
Students receive 6 points each day for being in proper attire, showing full participation and effort, and demonstrating appropriate classroom etiquette.
Required Attire
Students must dress out daily in all-black, fitted athletic wear with skin-tone half-soles (no socks allowed). Once a week, students will wear ballet attire for ballet class: a black spaghetti-strap leotard, dance tights, and skin-tone half-soles.
Dance Fees
Students are responsible for the cost of the Winter Showcase T-shirt and all costumes for the Spring Dance Showcase. A detailed fee schedule and payment options will be shared closer to the performance dates.
Dance Team
Ms. Cressman also coaches the LOLHS Dance Team, which meets after school several times a week. Auditions are held each spring for the following school year. The team includes both performance and competition groups to accommodate different skill levels. Members perform at LOLHS Boys’ Basketball games and participate in additional events and competitions throughout the year. Interested families can email Ms. Cressman for more information. Families should be aware that Dance Team involves a large monetary commitment which goes towards uniforms, costumes, competition entry fees and other possible event fees.
Ms. Cressman
High School Dance/Chorus Instructor
Owner of Kinesi Dance Complex
Bachelor of Arts in Applied Dance
Contact: scressma@pasco.k12.fl.us
Ms. Cressman grew up in Pennsylvania and began dancing at the age of four. She spent much of her adolescence competing, serving as team captain for several years, and earned opportunities to perform at regional, national, and international competitions. Her early training included Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz/Musical Theater, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Acro.
She went on to study Applied Dance at the University of Tampa, focusing on Anne Green Gilbert’s Brain-Compatible Dance Education and Creative Dance, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2019. During her studies, she worked with and performed pieces by renowned artists including Bill Evans (Evans Somatic Dance Institute), Jon Lehrer (Lehrer Dance), and Amanda Kay White (Backhausdance). She also choreographed for multiple university productions and was awarded the 2019 “Emerging Choreographer Anzia Award.”
After graduation, Ms. Cressman became active in Tampa Bay’s professional dance community, performing as a resident dancer with Moving Current Dance Collective, guesting with Orange Grove Dance, and appearing in dance films with Central Florida Choreographers Collaboration. She also performed at events throughout the Tampa Bay area with Poetica Dance.
Her professional journey led her to establish her own company. After taking over West Tampa Dance Company, she founded Kinesi Dance Complex in Port Richey, Florida. Kinesi offers youth and adult classes across multiple styles, with opportunities for competition, recreation, and fitness. Through her studio, Ms. Cressman is committed to strengthening the dance community in Pasco County and is honored to further dance education and advocacy by learning alongside and inspiring the dancers she teaches.
