Kilgore College Rangerettes

Kilgore College Rangerettes

File:Rangerette Logo.svg "Beauty Knows No Pain"
Formation	19 September 1940 (1940-09-19)
Type	Precision Dance Team
Location	Kilgore, Texas, United States
Membership	72
Founder	Gussie Nell Davis
Director	Dana Blair
Assistant Director	Shelley Wayne
Parent organization	Kilgore College
Staff	3
Volunteers	Many
Website	http://www.rangerette.com

File:Texas Rangerette Museum, Kilgore, TX IMG 5907.JPG

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

The Kilgore College Rangerettes, also known simply as the Rangerettes, are an American precision dance team from Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. The team was created by Gussie Nell Davis in 1939 and debuted on September 12, 1940. The Rangerettes have performed on four continents, in twelve foreign countries, twenty-three states, and Washington D.C. They have performed in 69 Cotton Bowl game halftimes in a row (1951-2019). They make regular appearances at NFL pre-game and half-time shows for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, and have performed in several national event parades and presidential inaugurations.

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, Davis was hired away from Greenville High School by the Kilgore College Dean, Dr. B.E. Masters. Masters wanted something different than the traditional women's drum and bugle corps. He wanted something that would increase female enrollment at the college but would also keep fans in their seats during football half time shows instead of drinking alcohol 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. Davis served as the group's director for forty years, until June 1979.

Directors and choreographers

• Gussie Nell Davis – Director, 1940-1979
• Denard Haden – Choreographer, 1947-1978
• Peggy Crowder - Assistant Director
• Barbara "Pill" Harmon - Assistant Director
• Deana Bolton Covin - Assistant Director, 1972-1979; Director 1979-1993
• Ruth Flynn – Choreographer, 1980-1984
• Laura Davis – Choreographer, 1983-1984; Assistant Director and Choreographer, 1983-1986
• Dana Blair – Assistant Director and Choreographer, 1986-1993; Director, 1993 to present
• Shelley Wayne – Assistant Director and Choreographer, 1993 to present
• Angela Aulds – Assistant Choreograper and Dance Technician 2015 to present

Performances and appearances

A Partial List Major Performances over the past 25 years

• Nov 2018 – 92nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City
• Jul 2018 – Basel Tattoo, Basel, Switzerland
• Mar 2018 – Contest of Champions final awards ceremony, Orlando, Florida
• Jan 2017 – Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Ball, Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of Donald Trump
• Dec 2016 – 75th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Nov 2016 – 90th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City
• Mar 2015 –Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Dublin, Ireland
• Jan 2013 – Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Ball, Washington, D.C. for the second inauguration of Barack Obama
• Dec 2011 – 70th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Jan 2009 – Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Ball, Washington, D.C. for the first inauguration of Barack Obama
• Jan 2005 – Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Ball, Washington, D.C. for the second inauguration of George W. Bush
• Nov 2003 – 77th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City

Revels

Revels is an annual variety show with a central theme performed at Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus. Revels features performances by Rangerettes with several dances choreographed by nationally known choreographers such as J.T. Horenstein and Tracie Stanfield. There are five showings within the week of the program, and it is the last major performance of the year for the group. 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. Approximately 6,000 people see the show each year, with many people traveling from out of town to attend and provide a boost to Kilgore’s economy.

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.

Controversy and criticism

Until the 1970's there were no black members of the team. According to the Texas State Historical Association, Davis said she would "be receptive when a qualified black tried out." The Rangerettes selected their first black team member, Freddie Goolsby Evans, in 1973.

In response to an adaptation of Erwitt's film Beauty Knows No Pain (1972), 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. 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".

Rangerette kidnapping

In the late afternoon of December 29, 2016, there was an alleged armed home invasion and kidnapping at Rangerette Director Dana Blair's home. The assailant allegedly kidnapped Blair's daughter, who at the time was a Freshman Rangerette. Blair's daughter escaped her captor a little over an hour later. The alleged assailant, Nancy Alice Moats, was arrested on a charge of aggravated kidnapping and released on $500,000 bond on December 30, 2016. On June 22, 2017, the assailant was indicted by a Gregg County Grand Jury, and faces first degree felonies in three charges encompassed in two counts for aggravated kidnapping. The first count includes two charges: aggravated kidnapping with intent to terrorize and aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon. The second count had one count of aggravated kidnapping by deadly force. On December 21, 2018, Blair's attorney filed a civil lawsuit against Moats seeking monetary relief of between $200,000 and $1 million. On January 22, 2019, a start date of April 15, 2019, was set for the criminal trial.

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 Rangerettes have been featured in articles in several media publications, including: Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Esquire, Texas Monthly, and Texas 24/7.

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 Mr. Holloway, a man heavily influenced by Texan stereotypes.

See also

• Kilgore College
• Drill Team
• Dance Team

External links

• Official Website