The Lake Highlands High School Wranglers definitely are something to brag about. The 44-person exhibition country-western dance team has been up to all good lately, performing at Dallas Cowboy and Mavericks games and representing Texas at the National Tour Association in Atlantic City, N.J.
They’ve also performed at a George Strait concert, a Dixie Chicks concert, an Asleep at the Wheel concert, and been featured in Little Texas’ “God Bless Texas” video.
And this month, the group will perform for its largest audience ever in Las Colinas for the Young Country Radio Christmas Fireworks Show with more than 200,000 people expected to attend.
The Wranglers group is in its fifth year, and founder and coordinator Katha Black remains amazed at the success of the team she developed after becoming burned out with running the drill team.
“This is a lot more work than drill team,” says Black, who has taught at Lake Highlands for the past 25 years. “But every event is totally, totally different.”
More than 125 students try out for the red, white and blue team each April, Black says.
The team is sponsored by Wrangler Jeans, B-Wild Apparel, Circle T, Tony Lama and Beaver Hats.
The team is always a varied group, Black says – and so is their prior dance experience.
“It goes from none at all to being in dance their whole lives,” says Black, who says there are 11 football players on the team this year.
Co-president Mikele Fitzsimmons says several former team members have gone on to pursue a career in dance.
“I hope to do something after this,” Fitzsimmons says. “I don’t want to just quit.”
It probably is hard to quit after practicing every school day during first period and performing at two or more events weekly.
Most of their performances are for corporations or large city events (except for one or two school assemblies) that usually pay for the team’s travel expenses if travel is needed, Black says.
Since the team started in 1992, 10 other country-western high school dance teams have popped up throughout Texas, Black says.
“I take that as a compliment,” Black says. “I see that as they’re copying us.”
