Marcus High School Marquettes Varsity Drill Team Interview with Alice Dack

Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, is very proud of their varsity dance team known as the Marquettes. Alice Dack has been the director of the Marcus High School Marquettes Varsity Drill Team for ten years and Lauren Murry has been the assistant director of the Marquettes for five years. As the director, Alice oversees the drill team program and the dance department at Marcus High School. During this time, the program has grown from 37 members to 80 members on Varsity. She also created the Junior Varsity program called the Silver Stars which has 25 members and is under the direction of Lauren Murry. The Marquettes and their JV counterpart, Silver Stars, are extremely lucky to have these two ladies to lead and mentor them.

Alice graduated from Friendswood High School where she was a 2-year officer of the National Championship Wranglerettes. After high school, she became a “World Famous” Kilgore College Rangerette and the Head Swingster. With the Rangerettes, Alice performed at the Cotton Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, and traveled to Singapore to appear in the traditional Chinese New Year’s festivities. She finished her education at the University of North Texas. While at UNT, Alice was selected to perform in the nationally recognized ballet, “Vampire Follies”, choreographed by James Clouser. She was also selected to perform in the International Choreography Festival in Portugal. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and graduated with honors.

Lauren Murry, the Assistant Director of the Marquettes and the Director of the Silver Stars JV team at Marcus High School, is equally talented. After graduating from high school, she became a part of the internationally famous Drill Team, the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles, where she served as Freshman Representative and then Head Dance Captain. She traveled with the Belles to Vienna, Austria and Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany to perform for our troops overseas. She graduated Cumme Laude from Stephen F. Austin State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance. Her education and career eventually led her to Marcus High School where she has been the Silver Star Director for the last five years.

Alice Dack is the Director of the Marquettes and oversees the drill team program and the dance department at Marcus High School. This is Alice’s tenth year with the Marquettes. During this time, the program has grown from 37 members to 80 members on Varsity. She also created the Junior Varsity program called the Silver Stars which has 25 members and is under the direction of Lauren Murry.

The Marquettes perform traditional Texas high kicks as well as contemporary, power jazz, tap and lyrical programs. They are known for their excellent technique, strong performance qualities and their large team consisting of 80 girls!

In Alice’s opinion, it is definitely their performance that separates their dance team from other dance programs! She wants their audiences to enjoy watching them perform as much as they love to dance. She believes that when you get that overwhelming crowd response, you know you have reached your goal!

Being selected as a Marquette or Silver Star (the JV team) is an outstanding achievement, but it’s a commitment that must be taken seriously. A young lady must have the support and the understanding of her family and the decision to audition must be thoroughly discussed. The commitments should be realized from the beginning. To remain a member of the team, members must maintain a passing grade average in each of her courses. She must maintain a certain level of dance ability, keep in good physical shape and uphold all of the guidelines established for the drill team organization.

When a young lady becomes a member of the Marquettes or Silver Stars, her entire family becomes involved as supporters, spectators, and helpers. Being a drill team member makes many demands upon the member and her family in terms of time, money, and emotional involvement. Parents are required to give of their time as well and must attend all monthly Booster Club meetings, serve on committees, help with fundraising to cover team expenses, help with costumes and props, and most importantly, parents are asked to attend as many team performances as possible. It is important to be aware of these commitments before trying out for the team. Hopefully, the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices involved.

There are many long hours required of drill team members both before and after school, and some evenings and weekends. Preparation for the football season starts in the summer before school is in session. During the season, they perform at all football games whether at home or away. Secondly, practice for contest season begins in late Fall with the competitions taking place in early Spring at various local high schools. Thirdly, they finish the year with an annual Spring Show held at Marcus High School.

They also attend pep rallies, basketball games and parades throughout the year. As a result, family schedules will sometimes have to be adjusted to accommodate the drill team member’s commitment to the organization. This is a team activity. Each girl must be present for all rehearsals, performances, etc.

According to Alice, her proudest moment would be when they were asked to be featured performers in Super Bowl XLV with the Black Eyed Peas and Usher. That is something she will never forget. But some of her proudest moments are watching kids meet and achieve their goals when the obstacles seemed bigger than life. Alice is proudest of her kids when they surpass their biggest expectations! She has much to be proud of in that arena. The list of her former students who have gone on to win awards and join elite dance groups is amazing and growing.

In addition to being featured performers in Super Bowl XLV, The Marquettes have been honored to perform in NYC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and as half-time performers for the Dallas Mavericks. The team has won numerous awards including Best Overall Technique, Precision, and Performance awards, multiple Winners Circle placements and Regional and State titles.

One thing that the seniors tend to know about dance that the younger dancers still have not learned yet is the difference between venues. The Marquettes spend all of fall performing on the football field. She says the new “babies” have no concept of special awareness when it comes to yard lines, hash marks and side lines. It takes a few weeks for them to become comfortable with such a different performance venue. The Seniors also get to teach the new members how to work hard even when things get tough. They model dedication and perseverance in a way that cannot be told; it has to be experienced.

The Marquette Alumni support the current Marquettes in many ways. For example, in celebration of the Marquettes 30^th anniversary in 2012, the Alumni compiled recipes for a very special commemorative cookbook. Additionally, the Alumni attend the Marquettes’ yearly Spring Show and often gather together at a local restaurant before the show. Then, again, In 2010 the Marquettes’ Booster Club launched the Marquettes Forever Alumni Program with the intention of keeping the alumni up to date of events and the accomplishments of their fellow alumni.

Alice’s goal for the 2015-2016 team is to become even more unified. With 80 girls, it sometimes becomes difficult for everyone to connect with everyone else. One of the most important parts of a dance team is the relationships these girls take away with them when they graduate. The more they work on team bonding, the stronger their personal lives and their performances will be.

The Marcus High School Drill Team is funded 100% through Corporate Sponsors, Fundraising, and Parent donations. Every effort is made to keep expenses reasonable, but there are considerable costs associated with being a member of the drill team. In an effort to ease the financial burden, fundraisers are scheduled to help defray expenses. Each family must support these events by giving their time and talents because each family directly benefits from the money raised. If you would like to become a Corporate Sponsor, they would greatly appreciate the support and welcome your contribution. Please read through the various levels of sponsors below and pick the level that is most appropriate for your business.

If you would like more information about the Marcus High School Marquettes Varsity Drill Team, visit their website at www.marcusdrillteam.com, call them at 469-948-7223, fax them at 972-350-9313or email Alice at dacka@lisd.net. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Alice Dack of Marcus High School Marquettes Varsity Drill Team.

Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com