Genre: Precision Dance Team Year originated: 1960 College: Texas State University | Motto: One Team, One Love Originated by: Barbara Guinn Tidwell City: San Marcos, Texas | |
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The Texas State University Strutters, more simply known as the Strutters, are a collegiate American dance team from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. They are the first American Precision Dance Team to be founded at a four-year university, and are currently the largest team of its kind in the United States. They have performed nationally and internationally in twenty-six countries spanning four continents, and are the first U.S. dance team to perform in the People’s Republic of China. Other performances include two presidential inaugural parades, two Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades, several NBA and NFL halftime shows, America's Got Talent, MTV’s Total Request Live, and appearances in five movies.
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Brief history
The team was founded by Mrs. Barbara Guinn Tidwell in 1960. Even with nowhere to practice on campus, the team became popular immediately, with a photograph of the Strutters included in Mobil Oil’s 1962 calendar. In 1976, the team was selected to represent America’s Bicentennial in a national television commercial for Coca-Cola. The Strutters have a strong and active alumni group of over 3,000 who network well, assisting each other in personal and professional endeavors.
On September 8, 2012, the $2.5 million Linda Gregg Fields Strutters Gallery in the North Side Endzone Complex at Bobcat Stadium was opened. Mrs. Fields and her husband, Jerry D. Fields, are among Texas State’s most generous benefactors, donating more than $11.7 million to Texas State, including $1.35 million toward the construction and operation of the gallery which depicts the history and prominence of the organization at the university.
Directors
Barbara Guinn Tidwell is the founder of the team, and served as their director and choreographer from their creation in the fall of 1960 to her retirement in the spring of 1997. After high school graduation, she attended Kilgore Junior College where she was a Kilgore College Rangerette. After Kilgore, she and three other Rangerettes chose the University of Southern Mississippi to complete their Bachelor degrees, with Tidwell receiving her degree in history. Tidwell was teaching at Galveston High School in the late 1950's, when she applied for a position at Southwest Texas State hoping to teach history there. The School President, Dr. Jack Flowers, said he wasn’t looking for a history teacher but someone with dance expertise who could create a team to keep fans in their seats at halftime.
Tidwell came up the team name herself saying, "I wanted something that didn't end in 'ettes." Not all high schools in Texas had a dance team in 1960, so most of the original 300 young women who auditioned for the very first Strutter line were novices, with hardly any background in precision dance/drill. Like most good educators, Tidwell usually saw more potential in her girls then they saw in themselves. She served as the teams's director and choreographer for 37 years. Just before her retirement in 1997, she was presented with the 1996 Distinguished Alumnus Award, in recognition of her role in founding the Strutters.
Susan Angell-Gonzalez, a former Strutter Captain, became the team's director in 1997. As director, she created the Strutter Spectacular, an annual spring show open to the public. Angell-Gonzalez is recognized by her peers as an authority in the field of drill and precision dance, and she is currently the President and CEO of Susan Angell-Gonzalez Enterprises Inc., which includes Showmakers of America®. Angell-Gonzalrz was the first Strutter to be inducted into the University Hall of Fame, has been recognized as one of Texas State University's "Top 100 Years of Women" for her achievements, and also received a Distinguished Alumnus Award. Angell-Gonzalez held the position of director/choreographer for 17 years.
The current director/choreographer is former Strutter Tammy West Fife who was named the team's director on July 1, 2013, after previously serving as Assistant Director of the team from 2002-2013. Fife received a faculty service award from Texas State University in 2004, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA) in 2008. In addition to being the team's director, Fife is responsible for the dance education majors, teaches the "Methods of Teaching Dance" course, and supervises all dance student teachers.
Performances and appearances
Below is a list of major performances and appearances by the Texas State University Strutters.
Strutters' Spectacular
The Strutters' Spectacular is the team's annual spring show-off, consisting of a variety of dances and styles, including guest performances and videos of the year. The event is usually the team's last performance of the year, concluding with a traditional high-kick routine in the Strutter field uniform. There are typically three shows during the program week, the last of which is on Saturday night.
Jazz Elite and Pom Squad
The Jazz Elite and Pom Squad are specialty groups within the Strutter's organization. Both groups have special performances in the Strutter Spectacular and throughout the year. The Jazz Elite is a group of highly technically skilled dancers who often perform the more difficult parts within a team routine. The Strutters Pom Squad is a group with high enthusiasm and energy, and are some of the most physically fit members of the team. The Pom Squad performs on the sidelines during football games, basketball games, and at spirit rallies put on by the university.
Officers
The Texas State University Officers make up the student leadership of the organization. To be eligible for an officer position, team members must have completed one or more years on the team. They are chosen by the director, outgoing officers, current team members, and Strutter Alumni. Officer uniforms differ from team uniforms in that they are solid white. The Officer's also carry a baton and perform a traditional 'Strut' during football games.
Managers
Strutter Managers are male students at the university, and are selected from those interested in assisting the team. They retrieve officer batons after the Strut onto the field, carry props and equipment for performances and practices, and accompany the team at all football performances. They also occasionally perform a comedic routine in the annual Strutter Spectacular. Managers with extensive dance background have also performed in the show as guest performers.
Strutters Always and Strutter Giants
In 1998 Strutters Always became an official alumni chapter of Texas State University. The goals of the group include communicating events to all team alumni and supporting the organization. The Strutters Always Board of Directors assists with all alumni reunions and other team related events.
Strutter Giants are a select group of men and women honored for their outstanding contributions to the organization. The current list of Strutter Giants includes:
Controversy and Criticism
Like many other organizations, the Strutters have had controversy and criticism over their history. Texas State University did not integrate the school until 1963, and the team was predominantly white for the first 29 years of its existence. Since the 1980s, a wide variety of ethnicities have joined the team, many gaining leadership positions within the organization. The team selected its first black officer in 1994.
There are no height or weight requirements, although team members must have proper weight for their height, frame, and bone structure. Team activities require outstanding cardio-vascular conditioning, strength, and stamina to participate in performances that are more difficult and rigorous than high school dancers are typically accustomed to. Body piercings, tattoos, brands, or symbols visible on the skin are not permitted, nor are distractions from the uniformity of costuming permitted.
The rules for the organization are many, and conforming to them can be difficult for dancers who prefer individual accolades over being part of a team. Other university students often state that the extensive list of rules takes away the identity and expression of the individual. The team defends itself by reminding others that the being part of the organization is elective, not mandatory, and that the rules are in place to insure a level playing field for everyone, and designed to bring out an individual's qualities within the constructs of a team. As ambassadors of Texas State University, the state of Texas, and the USA, team members gladly adhere to the rules set forth by the organization.
In December 2016, the organization drew criticism for agreeing to perform at the inauguration of Donald Trump. The criticism was primarily from current students of Texas State, but other groups involved in the inaugural, such as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, were also widely criticized for their participation as well.
Popular Culture
The Strutters have been on the television show MTV's Total Request Live, America's Got Talent, and in a Coca-Cola commercial celebrating America's bicentennial. They are featured in five motion pictures and performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade twice.