MEET THE WDC24 JUDGES

Erika Agrait began pursuing dance in middle school in Round Rock, Texas, where she became Captain for the CDF Steppers.  In high school, she danced for the Round Rock Dragonettes- under the direction of jon fisher and served as a Major her senior year. She was also on the Jazz Elite team & the Dance Guard. 

In college, Erika danced 4 years for the Texas State Strutters and was Lieutenant her junior & senior years. As a Strutter, she earned several Academic Athlete awards as well as “Who’s Who  within Colleges & Universities.” She completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Dance in 2003 and was part of the first graduating class of Texas State - formerly known as Southwest Texas. Following college graduation, Erika went on to dance for several AFL, IFL and NFL teams in McAllen & Houston, TX.

Erika is married to an Army Officer and has 2 children, ages 12 & 16. Over the last 13 years, she has taught dance at North Shore Senior High School in Houston; Holmes High School in San Antonio; East Austin College Prep in Austin and now Connally High School in Pflugerville. Under her direction, her dance teams have won many awards including state and national titles.

It is her honor and privilege to serve the Stars Dance Team at Connally High school and finds much pride in helping them grow into strong dancers and members of the community. She believes it is her duty to provide a fulfilling yet challenging experience for her dancers so that they are prepared for college and adulthood.

Leti Espinosa was raised in McAllen, TX, where she grew up dancing for her local award-

winning dance studio and high school dance team. With these teams, she won several national

dance titles and held different leadership positions.

When she graduated high school, she attended The University of Texas at Austin, and danced for

the UT Dance Team. While living in Austin, she also danced for the Austin Spurs NBA

Development team and was an NDA Instructor. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in

Communication Studies.

After college, Leti moved to Arlington, TX to attend The University of Texas at Arlington for

graduate school. While attending graduate school, she became the head dance team coach for

UTA. Most recently, she has become the Assistant Director of Spirit Groups and now oversees

the entire spirit program which includes the dance team, cheer team, mascots, and the Wranglers.

She was a member of the Texas Legends Dance Team for 3 years and danced for the first and

only hip-hop team in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blue Dancers. With these teams,

she has had the honor of being selected to perform for an NBA All-Star game, numerous NFL

halftime shows, and with music artists such as Dorrough and Meghan Trainor.

Since her time dancing professionally, she has now become one of the Directors for the Texas

Legends Dancers in Frisco, TX. They are the official dance team of the Texas Legends, the G-

League team for the Dallas Mavericks. She is also currently an instructor at Next Step Dance in

Frisco, where she teaches hip hop classes.

Ashli is currently the Utsa Pom squad coach. She Attended St. Mary’s University and specializes in hip-hop, pom and stylistic jazz. She has been a professional dancer and choreographer since 2006 and has been on SMA staff for 9 years.

 A native of Houston, Texas, Roland began cheering at the secondary level and transitioned into dancing in high school. He was a member of the Houston Community College repertoire dance program for two years and transferred to Blinn College and danced for the Nationally ranked Treasures dance team, where he served as lieutenant officer. While attending Rutgers University, Roland was a member of the Acrodanse Dance Company under the direction of Michael Gary. Roland holds a master’s degree in dance education from the University of Northern Colorado. A few of Roland’s performance credits include: an extra and leading male dancer in “Will A Real Man Please Stand Up”, starring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and Showtime at The Apollo - On Tour. Roland is currently in his 12th year as a public-school dance educator. Roland Latson has served on staff with Universal Dance Association and ShowTime International and has choreographed for many dance teams both at the secondary and collegiate level. Roland is a member of several local and national dance organizations. Roland is excited to return to the adjudication panel! Roland mentioned, "the dancers in the Austin and surrounding metroplex are insanely talented and he is excited to see what these student-athletes will display this year!" 

“I am a former drill team director with 24 years of experience in education. My passion of dance and performing when I was young led me to directing, but my purpose of “paying it forward” has lead to my emphasis on leadership, team building, and the social & emotion well being of people. I love the thrill of putting together a big production and watching both the participants and the audience thrive. I love serving and helping others and seeing individuals achieve their goals. I work well independently but also love the act of collaboration.

_____

Owner & Executive Director, Celebrate Dance Productions

Former SEL support, Whitney ISD

Former Director, Sulphur Springs High School Blue Blazes

Former Director, Jacksonville High School Cherokee Charmers

Former VP of Curriculum & Special Events, HTEDance

Award winning choreographer

Choreographer for such events as Alamo Bowl, Sugar Bowl,

National Independence Day Parade, Dallas Holiday Parade,

Philadelphia Freedom Festival and more

Secretary and presenter at former DTDA

Former Tyler Junior College Apache Belle

Former Captain of Robert E Lee (Tyler Legacy)

Southern Belles

Katie has been involved in the world of arts for her entire life. Growing up, she was a member of award-winning dance companies and started her professional career at the young at of 14. In college, Katie studied fine arts, receiving multiple scholarships. At CSU Long Beach she was honored with the Gloria Newman Dance Scholarship and was deemed the sole recipient of choreographic excellence, chosen from her graduating class, at Texas State University. Katie has lead numerous pre-professional and professional dance companies as the founder, creative director and manager. Her management expertise brought her to direct at one of the largest dance studios in Texas, where her company expanded over 100 members. Along with retaining the highest recognition at conventions across the states, her pupils have gone on to receive college scholarships and professional opportunities in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Texas.

Katie's award winning choreography can be seen on many companies and teams and is one of her favorite ways of connecting with today's generation of young dancers.

Over the past decade, Katie’s expansion in the arts has gained momentum. She founded her visual arts collective,Lewis + Line, in 2019 and it quickly became a hub where many forms of creation now thrive together. Along with the launch of her own business, curating custom artwork, her work can be seen on many websites and social media accounts.

Katie loves the journey of life and cannot wait to see what all is still to come!

I’ve been doing ballet, jazz, and contemporary for the last 20 years, tap and hip hop for the last 4 years. I am certified in Ballet with TATD.

Rangerette Captain ‘94-‘95

Former Assistant Director Westwood HS

Former South Garland HS Director

Former Director of Vision Dance Company at Dancers Workshop

Currently teaching at Dancers Workshop and freelance choreographer

Mrs. Rodriguez grew up in San Antonio, Tx. and participated on her high school dance team before graduating and attending what is now known as Texas State University. She graduated from Texas State in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance Education. Upon graduation from college, she relocated to Austin, Tx to pursue her career as a Dance Team Director in public school. She taught in Lake Travis ISD and then spent 18 years teaching and directing Dance in Leander ISD before getting married and relocating to New Braunfels, Tx. in 2021. Mrs. Rodriguez is currently the Dance Teacher and Dance Team Director at New Braunfels Middle School in New Braunfels ISD, and is also a contest staff member with Ascension Dance Company. She has over 20 years of experience adjudicating team and leadership auditions as well as 20 years of experience in the classroom and directing competitive dance teams on the middle and high school levels. Presently, she resides in New Braunfels with her husband Xavier and their 2 puppies Kimba and Kleo. When she is not doing all the things related to Dance, she loves spending time with family and friends, watching live music, and being outside on the Guadalupe River on a pretty day.

Originally from Longview, Texas, Bryan Smith initiated his dance education at Longview High School as a member of the LHS Viewettes dance/drill team. He later attended the Hartford Conservatory, graduating in 2007 with a Diploma in Dance Pedagogy and Dance Performance.

Bryan established a professional career in the Northeast, dancing in various companies and presenting works across the region, as well as in France, Italy, Germany, and Belgium. Upon returning to Texas, he transitioned to teaching and choreographing for dance teams, earning recognition for his dance instruction and choreography.

Currently residing in Dallas, Bryan continues to share his passion for dance with students nationwide.