Motto Beauty Knows No Pain Type Precision Dance Team Founder Gussie Nell Davis | Formation 1939 (1939) Membership 72 | |
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Location Kilgore, Texas, United States | ||
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 eleven foreign countries, twenty-three states, and Washington D.C. They have also performed in 66 Cotton Bowl game halftimes in a row (1951-2017), and they make regular appearances at Dallas Cowboys pre-game and half-time shows, national parades and presidential inaugurations.
Contents
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. Davis served as the group's director for forty years, until 1979, and died December 21, 1993.
Directors and Choreographers
Blair and Wayne began their 24th year together in August 2016.
Performances and Appearances
Performance Locations
Partial List of Major Performances
Rangerette Revels
Rangerette Revels is an annual variety show centered around a theme and performed at Kilgore College. Revels features performances by Rangerettes and guest performers. There are typically five showings within the week of the program, with the last show on Saturday night. Rangerette Revels is the last major 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.
Rangerette Revels Themes
Rangerette Swingsters
The Rangerette Swingsters are an elite specialty jazz dance group of sophomore team members. Freshmen audition for the group in January of their freshmen year, but only have one performance as freshmen when both sophomore and freshmen Swingsters are featured at Revels.
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.
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 Goolsby 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."
The Rangerette organization periodically faces criticism from parents of girls who aren't selected for the team. The most common criticism is the perception the organization emphasizes 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 upperclassmen. 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.
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 kidnapped Blair’s daughter, who is a Freshman Rangerette. Blair’s daughter escaped her captor a little over an hour later. The assailant was arrested on a charge of aggravated kidnapping and released on $500,000 bond. The criminal case is pending.
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.
The Rangerettes have appeared in several media publications, including Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Esquire, Texas Monthly, and Texas 24/7. They were featured in the Cinerama movie "Seven Wonders of the World (1956)," 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.