The Sterling Stars Dance Team and the newly formed Sterling JV Sapphires Dance Team make their 
home at Ross S. Sterling High School in Baytown, Texas, under the direction of Jamie Lumpkin and Anasheh Partiai. According to Jamie, the Sterling Stars have the most dedicated, hard-working and passionate group of girls who are willing to do anything for their team. She says they have overcome so much adversity and are always ready to leave all of the sweat, tears and love on the dance floor. They now have two teams – the Varsity team and the newly formed JV Sapphires Dance Team.
In Jamie’s opinion, the Sterling Stars Dance Team and Sterling JV Sapphires Dance Team are different from other dance programs because of the incredible work ethic of her dancers. She says they are willing to work as long and as hard as they need to accomplish goals. They are constantly encouraging each other to do their best and get better every day. Also, she says they have outstanding support from their community and their parents. Additionally, they have a great traditional foundation for the program that sets them apart and gives them motivation to stay within their roots.
Jamie’s proudest moments while being involved with the Sterling Stars are watching the girls step onto the floor for any performance, small or big, and watching dance from within their hearts. To see them smiling and doing what they love is so rewarding for Jamie. She also loves this program because they shine academically and set great examples within the school walls for their peers and community.
The Sterling Stars won big at the 2015 Champion Dance Contest. They were named the Grand Champions in both the Division 2 Officer Line and the Division 1 Team. They also earned the Judges Team Award and Judges Officers Award and the Showmanship Team Award. They won Best in Class in the Division 1 Super Jazz Team, the Division 1 Super Novelty Team, and the Division 1 Super Pom Team awards. Additionally, they won the Best in Class in the Division 1 Extra Large Officer Hip Hop, the Division 1 Extra Large Officer Jazz and the Division 2 Extra Large Officer Contemporary awards. In the Extra Large Ensemble Division, they were named 1st Runner Up for Hip Hop Company and 2nd Runner Up for the Contemporary Company. Lastly, they won the High Point Performance Award in the Division 1 for Hip Hop Company. Whew! That’s a lot of awards.
Jamie believes that the one thing that the seniors tend to know about dance that the younger dancers still have not learned is the amount of dedication that is really necessary to achieve a goal – 
including balancing school with dance and really striving to improve for themselves, not necessarily to impress others.
Her goals for the Sterling Stars and the JV Sapphires are for them to keep improving their technique and for the team to set the bar even higher for years to come. She also hopes to see them participate in more outreach projects within the community.
The Sterling Stars Dance Team will celebrate their 50th anniversary is next year! They are proud to be the oldest drill/dance team in town. They also just introduced their first ever Junior Varsity team called the Sterling JV Sapphires and Jamie and Anasheh are very excited to get to work with them.
If you would like more information about the Sterling Stars Dance Team or the Sterling JV Sapphires, call Jamie at 281-420-4500 x257 or email Jamie at jamie.lumpkin@gccisd.net.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Jamie Lumpkin or Anasheh Partiai of Danceworks of Sterling Stars Dance Team or the Sterling JV Sapphires.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
