Braswell Royals Drill Team

Kristina Shelburne has been the Director of the Braswell High School Royals Drill Team for four years since established in 2016. Before directing the Royals she was the Denton High School Fillies Assistant Director for four years. She has 27 years of dance experience in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Modern, Lyrical, Pointe, Musical Theater, and Precision Drill Team. Starting at the age of 3, she began dancing at Bingham Dance Studio for 17 years under Joy Swift and Jill Clements. In High School she was a member of the Starz Dance & Drill Team at Midland High School, under the direction of Misti Ray. As a Starz Dancer she held a Lieutenant Officer position both her junior and senior years. She continued her dance education in college as she attended Midland College, obtaining her Associates Degree of Fine Arts. In December 2011 she received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education and a Minor in Business from Texas Woman’s University. She then continued her education earning an Executive Masters of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University, December 2014.

Miss Shelburne’s teaching career began at Bingham Dance Center as a primary dance teacher and choreographer, for two years. Throughout college she performed and choreographed in many shows such as Dance 208, Up-Close, Dance Makers, and Arts Triangle at TWU. She was an active member for Midland Community Theater for 5 years and has performed in their annual Summer Mummers, and Producers the musical. In 2011 she completed her student teaching assignment at Denton High School, teaching all levels of dance, assisting with the Fillies, and choreographing for the Fillies Follies spring show. After student teaching, she accepted a position at Denton High School as a dance teacher and an Assistant Director to the Fillies, with Director, Kerri Burgess. When she is not teaching or dancing she is an active member, performer, and fitness instructor at Twisted Bodies Studio. She teaches Pound, Pilates, Stretch, Aerial Silks, Lyra Hoop, and Total Body Barre classes. In 2016 she joined an Aerial Company, Hypella through Twisted Bodies as a performer and soloist. In 2015 she choreographed for the McKinney Boyd Theater Department’s production of Rock of Ages: High School Addition. In 2016 she was named the Director for the Royals Drill Team and dance department at Braswell High School. She had the honor of choreographing High School Musical in 2018 and Seussical in 2019 for the Braswell High School Theater Department.

Her honors and awards include graduating Summa Cum Laude at TWU, Deans and Presidents List, Continuing Education Philanthropy and Community scholarships, Vice President of Student Government Association at Midland College locally and regionally, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, National Honors Society, and Who’s Who among American Students. This year she was nominated by the Royals and received the Director Recognition Award at the North Texas Regional Danceline competition.

Jessica Johnston has been the Assistant Director of the Braswell High School Royals Drill Team since 2018. She has 12 years of dance experience in Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Precision Drill Team. She attended Lake Dallas High School where she was a member of the Highsteppers Drill Team under the direction of Amy Huff. As a Highstepper she held a Social Officer position her sophomore year, a Jr. Lieutenant Officer position her junior year, and was Captain her senior year. After high school Ms. Johnston continued dancing as a Texan Star at Tarleton State University. Dancing on a collegiate team allowed many opportunities for her to travel, as well as choreograph competition routines for multiple high schools. After one year she moved back to Denton and continued her dance education at Texas Woman’s University. Ms. Johnston graduated from TWU in December of 2017 and was awarded a Bachelor of Science with a major in Family and Consumer Sciences. She is currently in her third year of teaching as an Introduction to Culinary Arts, and Level One Dance teacher at Braswell High School.