ANOTHER FANTASTIC SPRING SHOW | Hi-Steppers’ “Newsflash” leaves the crowd wanting more

The spectacle, glamor and color that is the annual Kilgore High School Hi-Steppers Spring Show – “Newsflash” this year – has come and gone, now, having been this past weekend at The Belcher Center on the campus of LeTourneau University.

And while the audience from the two shows rave about the performance, the performers themselves – and their directors – can breathe a bit of a sigh of relief that the production, just an abundance of hard work and fun, is now behind them for another year.

Director Laycen Peralez and assistant director Christie Carter will soon be at work on planning next year’s spectacular, but perhaps for now, at least a short rest. Peralez said in an interview with ETBlitz.com last summer that once a spring show is behind the team, plans begin for the next.

“Just generally, we work about four months ahead,” Laycen explained, in ETBlitz.com’s personality profile of herself and husband Hector, the Bulldogs’ head boys soccer coach, last year. “Spring show stuff, I start that as soon as I wrap up a Spring Show. Christie (Carter) and I have ideas going for what that looks like for next year… facilities, securing the Belcher (Center), what our theme is, how do we bring people in. We are blessed that we have really talented drill team people here. But we bring in a lot of people, too, because we want our kids to have exposure, and to be able to go dance at the next level, if that’s what they want to do. So they have to be trained and be able to dance in a lot of different genres, and securing those people to make the drive to East Texas – it takes a lot of planning.”

And that is obvious by the resulting product, another phenomenal spring show that doesn’t just feature the Hi-Steppers, but so many others: the Kilgore Middle School (KMS) Star Steppers, the KMS and Kilgore High cheerleaders, the advanced co-ed class at the high school, dances featuring the seniors with their parents, mini-campers and campers from kindergarten through eighth grade, and even the Hi-Stepper managers.

This year’s opener was “Breaking News: ‘Who Runs The World’,” as the Hi-Steppers greeted the crowd for both shows – that was choreographed by Tori Skills.

“Good News,” featuring the mini-campers, was up next – kindergarten through second grade campers performed for the matinee crowd and third through fifth grade campers for the evening show.

The Hi-Stepper officers hit the crowd hard with “Google News: ‘Google Me,’” a dance choreographed by former Hi-Stepper and Kilgore College Rangerette Ryan Wayne.

“Radio News: ‘Music in Me’ and ‘On the Radio’” was a performance, choreographed by Ashlyn Thompson, by the sixth through eighth grade campers and the Hi-Steppers themselves.

The Lara Miller-choreographed “Entertainment News: ‘No Business Like Show Business’” featured the Hi-Steppers en masse, as did “Billboard News: ‘Rockstar’, choreographed by Wayne and by Rachel Hurt. At the conclusion of that performance was the senior slideshow, put together by Senior Captain Gracelyn Nash.

The parents finally got to get rid of those butterflies by hitting the stage with their daughters for “Facebook News: ‘Momma, I’m a Big Girl Now,’ and ‘My Girl’,” the traditional mothers and then fathers dances with their senior Hi-Steppers, followed by the introduction of the seniors themselves.

The KMS cheerleaders hit the stage for “Documentary News Part 1: ‘Cheer Mix,’” coached by Taige Ault, and then the Hi-Stepper officers returned for “Newspaper News: ‘Power of Print,’” choreographed by Carrie Sellars and Kali Boyd.

The managers brought their unique brand of – well, style – to the stage, performing in dresses in “Tabloid News: ‘Model Me Mix,’” a performance choreographed by the officers. And winding up the first half of the show was “Tik-Tok News: ‘Hip Hop Mix,’” the Hi-Steppers team, choreographed by Sammi Hobbs.

There was a brief intermission for the crowd – the work continued backstage as the Hi-Steppers all changed to perform “Travel Reports: ‘Train Mix,’” choreographed by Rangerettes Assistant Director Shelley Wayne and by Angela Aulds.

The Star Steppers got their turn in “State of the Union Address: ‘Yankee Doodle,’” directed by Tracy Drury and Drew Bates.

The Hi-Steppers returned to the stage as a team for “Audio Books: ‘Listen,’” choreographed by Chloe Banner, and then more senior tributes with “Graduation announcements: ‘Senior Memories,” a presentation created by Gracelyn Nash.

The always emotional and traditional senior dance followed: “I Was Here,” choreographed by Colby Santana.

Kilgore High School’s cheerleaders brought the energy with “Documentary News, Part 2: ‘Cheer Mix,’” coached by Saidie Hamblen and Courtney Reinert.

Some of the Hi-Steppers were joined by male students for the co-ed class performance, “Press Conferences: ‘Are You Ready,’” choreographed by their teacher, Laycen Peralez, and then it was the Hi-Stepper freshmen and sophomores in “Weather Reports: ‘Umbrella,” a dance choreographed by the senior officers.

The juniors also got a dance of their own: “Podcasts: ‘Microphone,’” choreographed by the junior officers.

Nash performed the traditional captain’s dance, this year’s “Blogs: ‘Say Goodbye,’” choreographed by Lexi Drennan, and then the final performances: “Mail: ‘Mr. Postman,’” choreographed by Megan Holder; a year-end highlight video put together by Nash; and the show’s finale, “Phone Calls: ‘Call Me,’” featuring the entire team in the wrap-up, fittingly choreographed by Peralez herself.

The Hi-Steppers are far more than a halftime act during football season, and the spring show. They’re so much more, activities and appearances year-round, with their own support group and the leadership of Peralez and Carter, continuing the tradition of excellence that dates back over 50 years.

The 2024-2025 Kilgore High School Hi-Steppers

Officers: Captain Gracelyn Nash (four-year senior); Lt. Adalyn Chitwood (three-year junior); Lt. Bailey Alford (four-year senior); Lt. Kyleigh Lewis (four-year senior); Lt. Kayla Black (three-year junior); Lt. Kyra Spyhalski (three-year junior).

Seniors (in addition to Nash, Alford, and Lewis): Brooklynn Audas (four-year senior); Kalie Cooper (four-year senior); Makinlee Latham (four-year senior); Sheba Meyer (three-year senior).

Juniors: Madison Bailey (three-year junior); Kerstin Dean (three-year junior); Langston Donath (three-year junior); Hannah Holmgren (three-year junior); Kortlan Howard (two-year junior); Makenzie Miller (three-year junior).

Sophomores: Maddie Adams (two-year sophomore); Audrey Bailey (two-year sophomore); Carly Chitwood (two-year sophomore); Grace Friesen (one-year sophomore); Aubrie Montgomery (two-year sophomore); Rheagan Starkey (two-year sophomore); Maddie Tucker (two-year sophomore).

Freshmen: Nayeli Arcos, Emersyn Cavel, Maggy Meraz.