Kilgore College Rangerettes

Kilgore College Rangerettes

Motto	Beauty Knows No Pain[1]
Formation	1939 (1939)
Type	Precision Dance Team
Location	Kilgore, Texas, United States
Membership	72
Founder	Gussie Nell Davis[1]
Director	Dana Blair[2]
Assistant Director	Shelley Wayne[3]
Parent organization	Kilgore College

Rangerette Museum on the campus of Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas

The Kilgore College Rangerettes, also known simply as the Rangerettes, are an American dance team from Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. The team was created by Gussie Nell Davis in 1939^[4] and debuted on September 12, 1940.^[5]

The Rangerettes have performed on four continents, in eleven foreign countries, twenty-three states, and Washington D.C..^[6] They have also performed in 65 Cotton Bowl game halftimes in a row (1951-2015),^[4] and they make regular appearances at Dallas Cowboys pre-game and half-time shows, national parades and presidential inaugurations.^[7]

Brief history

The Kilgore College Rangerettes were founded by Gussie Nell Davis, a physical education instructor from Farmersville, Texas who had previously taken an all-girl's group called the "Flaming Flashes" from being a simple high school pep-squad to an elaborately performing drum and bugle corps in Greenville, Texas. In 1939, Miss Davis was hired away from Greenville High School by the Kilgore College Dean, Dr. B.E. Masters. Dr. Masters wanted something different than the traditional women's drum and bugle corps; he wanted something new and unique that would primarily increase female enrollment at the college, but would also keep fans in their seats during football half time shows instead of drinking alcohol and brawling under the stands. Opting early to forgo the use of musical instruments, Davis focused her new team on dance and choreography, later naming the group the Rangerettes. The Rangerettes became a success early on despite criticisms of their uniforms featuring skirts above the knee, which by the 1960s had become much shorter. In 1975 the Houston Contemporary Museum of Art honored her for creating a "living form" of art.^[8] Davis served as the group's director for forty years, until 1979, and died in 1993.^[6]

Directors and choreographers

The Rangerettes' first professional choreographer was Denard Haden, who signed on to work with the group in 1948. He helped to pioneer the dance drill team style used by the Rangerettes and later by other dance teams. Haden retired in 1978 and died in 1983.

The first assistant director of the Rangerettes was former Rangerette Peggy Crowder. Crowder later became Dr. Peggy Crowder Coghlan, Vice-President of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer of Kilgore College. She retired from the school in 1996.

Barbara "Pill" Harmon was the second assistant director.

Deana Bolton Covin was the third assistant director of the Rangerettes from 1972 to 1979, and she became the second director of the Rangerettes when Davis retired in 1979. Covin became very well known for her emphasis on precision, polish, and perfection. She retired in 1993, but continued an active role in the Rangerette Forever Alumni organization for many years after. Covin died on June 28, 2016.

The second Rangerette choreographer was former Rangerette, Ruth Flynn. Flynn worked with Covin from 1980 to 1984, and directed the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles from September 1985 through May 2012.^[9]

Covin's first assistant director was former Rangerette Lieutenant Laura Barnett Davis, who was also the third Rangerette choreographer. Davis worked as the assistant director with Flynn and Covin for one year. After Flynn left Kilgore College in 1984, Davis took over choreography in addition to her duties as assistant director.^[10]

Covin's next assistant director and choreographer was former Rangerette Lieutenant Dana Blair (née Brown), who would assist Covin from 1986 until her retirement in 1993. After Covin retired, Blair would become the third (and current) director of the Rangerettes. She is the first Rangerette Director to have been a Rangerette herself.^[2]

The current assistant director and choreographer of the Rangerettes is former Rangerette Lieutenant Shelley Wayne (née Stoeck) who signed on to work with the Rangerettes in 1993.^[3]

Performances and appearances

Performance Locations

• Continents - North America, South America, Europe, Asia
• Countries - Canada, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Macao, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Venezuela
• States - Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington D.C.

Partial List of Major Performances

The Rangerettes have appeared in several media publications such as Newsweek, Esquire, Texas Monthly, and Texas 24/7.

Rangerette Revels

Rangerette Revels is an annual variety show performed at Kilgore College featuring various performances by members of the Kilgore College Rangerettes as well as guest performers. There are typically five showings within the week of the program, with the last show on Saturday night. Rangerette Revels is typically the last performance of the year for the group, and is universally considered by the Rangerettes themselves to be their most important performance of the year. The revenue generated by the shows make it one of Kilgore College's highest grossing events. The last segment of the show is always an extended production kick routine, featuring all of the Rangerettes in the traditional uniform.

Revels started in 1948 as an in-school talent show and fund-raiser called "Ranger Roundup" which took place in the school gymnasium. Davis compiled all the football halftime routines and added the Kilgore College band and twirlers to create a spring time show. As popularity grew, the event migrated to a local football stadium and was called the Rangerette Revue, then later was moved to Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus where it was given its current name. The shows are centered around a theme, filmed, and available on DVD or Blu-ray via the Rangerette website http://www.Rangerette.com.

Rangerette Revels Themes

Rangerette Swingsters

The Rangerette Swingsters are a specialty jazz dance group within the Kilgore College Rangerettes. Rangerettes must audition for the group as freshmen. Being a Swingster is considered an honor by most Rangerettes as they are considered an elite performance group within the Rangerettes.

Officers

Rangerette Officers are 2nd year Rangerettes who make up the student leadership of the organization. They are chosen by the directors and an outside panel of judges, with assistance from their classmates, and are announced at Showoffs, the week before the start of fall semester classes. There are four lieutenants and one captain. The officer uniform differs from the standard team uniform in that it is solid white. The officers also wear scarves around their necks; red for lieutenants and blue for the captain.

Managers

Rangerette Managers are male students from Kilgore College selected by the team to help with setting up and removing props and stage equipment for productions and half-time performances. Managers occasionally participate in performances, traditionally performing a comedic routine during Rangerette Revels. Managers who have an extensive dance background may perform in more traditional dance performances.

Rangerettes Forever

Rangerettes Forever is an alumni organization that participates in various support programs for the team. Only former Rangerettes who completed both years on the team may join.^[11]

Controversy and criticism

The Rangerettes have not always escaped controversy. Until the mid-1970s, there had been no African-Americans on the Rangerette line. Miss Davis was quoted as saying that she would be receptive when a qualified candidate tried out. The Rangerettes selected their first black team member, Freddie Goosby Evans, in 1973, and their first black officer in August 2012.

In response to an adaptation of Erwitt's film Beauty Knows No Pain (1971), titled after the Rangerette motto, feminists and other critics expressed dismay at the emphasis on physical attractiveness and rigorous and authoritarian training. The critics charged that the Rangerettes were a troupe of "sexist" and "mindless" "Barbie Dolls," and their activity was inappropriate for college curriculum. Miss Davis countered "that there was nothing wrong in learning self-confidence, discipline, cooperation, and the ability to perform precision dance, along with poise, etiquette, and personal grooming."^[1]

The Rangerette organization periodically faces criticism from parents of girls who aren't selected for the team. The most common criticism is the organization's perceived emphasis on physical appearance. The organization insists that Rangerettes are chosen based on their dance and kick abilities, but must also have a properly proportioned appearance in the traditional uniform and other performance costumes.

During the week-long audition process known as pre-training, hopefuls are not allowed to wear make-up, all wear their hair in a pony tail, and all wear the same style clothing while performing in front of the directors and upper-classmen. Compared by many former team members to military basic training, the organization defends its process, believing that pre-training sets all hopefuls on equal footing, shows who has the desired amount of showmanship and dedication necessary, and insures new members are selected solely on their abilities. While the audition process itself is harsh and intimidating, former team members and other supporters are often overheard saying "if they think pre-training is hard, wait until they make the team."

Team members are weighed periodically to insure they are living a healthy life style, and have neither gained, or lost, more weight than is healthy.

Popular culture

In anticipation of the organization's 75th anniversary, filmmaker Chip Hale followed the Rangerettes for a year, creating the documentary Sweethearts of the Gridiron. The film examines the dynamics of the relationships between Blair and Wayne (both former Rangerettes), the returning Rangerettes, and the tryout process for the hopefuls who want to make the team. The documentary appeared in 18 film festivals during 2015, and was released on DVD and digital platforms in September 2016.^[12]

They were featured in the Cinerama movie "Seven Wonders of the World," and have appeared on several major national television programs.

In the King of the Hill episode "The Company Man" (Season 2, Episode 9), Hank asks Peggy to wear a Kilgore Rangerette type outfit when they go out to dinner with The Holloways.^[13]

See also

• Majorette (dancer)
• Kilgore College
• Drill Team
• Dance Team

References

External links

• Official Website
• Official Facebook Page
• Sweethearts of the Gridiron Website
• Sweethearts of the Gridiron Facebook
• YouTube Halftime Performance