The Judson High school dance department is starting off the 2022-2023 school year with a new Dance Director after former Dance Director Sarah Howe stepped down after 16 years of being the Judson High School dance coach. 

“I’m looking forward to a lot of new challenges this year,” Moreno said.

With the Judson Dance department being led by a new director, the program will be doing a lot of new things that have never been done before. Moreno hopes to take the Diamonds and Dazzlers to the next level. 

“We have a lot of new genres that the Diamonds and Dazzlers have never performed…The Diamonds hope to go to nationals this year. We are also taking the Dazzlers to a competition for the first time this year,” Moreno said.

Watching halftime performances can be boring or not so entertaining to some; however, Moreno pushes for a change. 

“This year during halftime the fans can be expecting crisp and entertaining performances that will keep their attention and make them proud of being a Rocket,” Moreno said. 

The Diamonds and the Dazzlers are moving through this season with a powerful motive to keep their heads high and to remember the purpose of the “Diamond J”

“This year our motive is to make a statement. we are using a lot of motivational and inspirational quotes to help us move along this school year,” Moreno said. 

During the COVID-19 outbreak, it was hard for many of us to live our everyday lives. We were all limited to certain events. The Judson dance team was not able to go to any competitions or even attend away games during the football season. 

“The motive came from the tough times during COVID-19 when everyone was feeling down and this year we are opening back up and we are pushing ourselves to be better every day,” Moreno said. 

 Also interviewed was Major of the Diamond Dance Team Junior Emily Robles, who explained why the new dance director has made her impact on the team. Robles truly feels like Mrs. Moreno has pushed not only her but the whole dance team to get out of their comfort zone and be able to open up to learn new dance genres and to be able to improve their dance skills as a team. 

“She has pushed everyone to the best of their ability and out of their comfort zones when it comes time to learn new dance genres and improve the team’s dance skills,” Robles said.

Robles knows that if they want to go to Nationals this year that there are going to be many challenges to endure, but it’s all a part of the process to get better as a team. When enduring those challenges, the team is going to make mistakes and fall down, but Robles feels like what Mrs. Moreno has taught them will help them overcome those challenges and be able to get back up. 

“When learning new dances or facing any challenges Mrs.Moreno is always reminding us that when we fall or make mistakes it’s not always about the fall it’s about how you get back up and try again and keep trying until you do it right,” Robles said. 

The Diamonds will be performing many new dances and kick routines during pep rallies and when taking the field during halftime this football season. The Diamonds will also be attending a competition next year in February. We hope to see many accomplishments from the Judson dance department.