Brittany Kelley
KYLE — For the second year in a row, the Hays CISD varsity dance teams from Hays, Johnson and Lehman high schools have received a division one rating in the new Fall Field Assessment pilot program.
“Typically, January and February, all season long — those two months — they have a pretty competitive spring season and something new that we have started is that for our varsity dance teams in the fall, they are also competitive now,” said Hays CISD lead dance director Lacey Fastle. “[Similar to] how marching band has a fall [University Interscholastic League (UIL)] assessment, we now have a fall pilot program, where they do the style of dance on the field that you would see during the fall season.”
The pilot program began when the Texas Dance Education Association started advocating to create a statewide competition, hosted by UIL, to encourage fairness and integrity, so the students are not only being evaluated by private companies, said Fastle. Since its debut year in 2024, it has grown from three regions to nine.
The Hays CISD high school varsity dance teams have had a clean sweep, receiving division one ratings, for both years.
Fastle noted that the new competition allows the dancers to focus on technique and skill in their field performances, rather than the usual entertainment and visuals used for football games. These skills are rated in 27 different categories, from spatial awareness, body angles, stamina and more, she continued, with division one ratings requiring a specific score in each classification.
“We’re lucky and blessed that all of our girls work really, really, really hard for us and they wanted to bring home a division one rating,” emphasized the director. “[Dance] is one of the reasons why kids show up to school … The students are doing what they need to do. Our administrators are kicking butt in supporting us, basically advocating for us because in this climate, as we know, fine arts are not always the most supported across Texas, but here in Hays, we’re so lucky that we have awesome support.”
Fastle stated that the dance teachers enjoy calling the teams “athletic artists,” as they’re treated like a sports team, practicing every day, performing at games and serving their community when called upon.
“This isn’t just a group of girls who are bouncing around looking cute, holding poms. These are things that the [Texas Education Agency] has said are essential skills for you to have as a dancer,” said Fastle.
She emphasized that these students are also learning valuable skills in dance, such as self discipline, social skills, personal executive functioning skills and perseverance — everything needed to be a leader.
“These leadership skills that you learn in dance teams are something that you can apply to any career. So, this isn’t just for kids who want to dance in the future. This is for people who want to be the best of the best, no matter what,” the director stressed.
The Fall Field Assessment allows the students to not only present what they have learned, but also to validate what is taught in the classroom and dance as a whole in the district.
After the increase in participants this year, the assessment has been moved to the monitoring phase, so she expressed that she hopes it will be approved by UIL and hosted by the organization in 2026.
“Hays CISD having a clean sweep for two years in a row is a huge deal for us because we’re just seeing the standard for excellence and we want to continue that standard,” said Fastle.
While only the high school varsity teams participate in the pilot program, each secondary school has both classes and varsity teams, as well. The middle schools have dance one, two and three, with the ability to audition for the varsity team after completing dance one, and the high schools have dance one through four and allow anyone to audition for the junior varsity and varsity team.
The director concluded by sharing that Hays CISD is a “true leader in regard to dance in the Central Texas area,” as having a dance program, studio, dance director and dance team at every secondary campus is a luxury.
