Step by Step: Unveiling Redwood’s Dance Program’s Origins!

Dance at Redwood has been such an important part of our school’s culture for over 20 years. Since its creation, it is also now a tradition to hold an annual Dance show. However, how did the dance program start here at Redwood? How does the creation of our dance program connect to the creation of Redwood’s Dance Show?

By Laysha Vargas-Guizar and Mallory Byl

The history of the dance in Visalia Unified importantly starts with a person named Missy Yavasile, who pushed the principal at the time, Mr. Leppek, to introduce a dance program in Visalia high schools back in the early 2000’s. 

To understand why Mrs. Yavasile pushed for a dance program for Redwood, we should look back into her extensive experience with the performing art. 

“I started dancing as a very young child. I got my first pair of pointe shoes when I was 7 because I was ruining my feet walking on my toes without the proper shoes. I continued with lessons throughout high school.”

After high school, Mrs. Yavasile continued to pursue dance during her college years at COS. Her involvement in the dance scene extended with dance competitions, dance charities, musicals, producing a show and traveling to perform other dances. 

“I was selected as Miss Tulare County and danced in Miss California where I was third runner up to Miss California. Along with Miss Tulare County 1996, I produced a show called Beautiful Faces, which featured performers with disabilities (singers, dancers, etc) from all over Tulare County.”

When she returned to Visalia, she got a teaching job at Green Acres Middle School where she took the opportunity to ask if she could teach dance through the P.E. Department. She was given the green light to teach it and that is where dance really started in Visalia.

“The kids had so much fun! I was thrilled at the amount of enthusiasm from the kids involved so I decided to start my own dance studio… I started my own studio, Visalia Dance Center, upstairs in my garage. My garage lasted only one year, and it was too small. I had to move 4 times before I found a space large enough to accommodate all my students.”

At this dance studio Mrs. Yavasile had many performing groups. Some of these groups weren’t just a small thing either, one of the groups called STARS was a national franchise and had a home base in Utah. While doing all of this, she had spoken to the Visalia Superintendent of Schools asking if she could finally start an actual dance program in Visalia.

“He said there was no money for such a thing. But no matter where I was working, I continued to talk about someday starting a dance program in Visalia.”

While at Green Acres, her influence in dance also was seen at the Green Acres Little Theater as a choreographer. After 8 years of that, Mrs. Yavasile left Green Acres and finally arrived at Redwood as a counselor for 3 years. 

In the late 80’s, she started a dance club at Redwood and that club performed the first Dance Show ever in Visalia Unified School District, in the LJ Williams Theater.

She briefly left Redwood but once she returned she began to teach in the science department. There, she would mainly teach Biology and would become the head of the Science Department for several years.

While she was still teaching here, she was approached by the principle of Redwood at the time, Mr. Leppek, about starting the dance program she’s been longing for years.

“He approached me and asked if I was serious about it. I said of course and he said, ‘What do you need?’. Unreal! I was beyond excited. I told him what we would need: a room with mirrors and barres, a sound system, a teacher, and curriculum. I insisted that I was allowed to select the teacher. He agreed to everything, and Redwood dance was created.”

She would then write the curriculum, which got approved, and wrote a grant for 5,000 dollars. Mrs. Yavasile was in charge of auditioning students for the program, having over 200 students from Redwood, Mt. Whitney and Golden West.

“It was a mad house but so exciting. At that time, because Redwood had the only program, the students from all the high schools were allowed to take class at Redwood.”

Mrs. Yavasile was also the one who hired Mrs. Lapp, who is still our dance teacher along with Mrs. Bardonnex. She had even taught both of them in her dance studio.

As years went on more versions of dance would be included into Redwood’s dance program. Hip-Hop was added because of a group of boys who would break dance in the Academic Building.

Mrs. Yavasile left Redwood in 2004 to pursue other opportunities, and she ultimately retired in 2009. Her life was devoted to dancing, seeing it as one of the best ways to be able to express herself and for others to be able to escape reality.

If it wasn’t for Mrs. Yavasile, Redwood’s dance culture as we know it today, wouldn’t exist. There are others things that wouldn’t be how they are now without her like the permanent screen projector we now have in the LJ Williams Theater.

The dance program here at Redwood eventually caused other high schools in the district to include dance into their school. Next year dance is also coming to Green Acres Middle School which shows how far the program has built up since the 2000’s.

None of this would be possible without Mrs. Yavasile’s passion for dance. She persisted on something that she felt was important for students to have, having something to help and motivate them as it has to her. Her contribution to dance has changed the lives of everyone who has taken the class as well as the ones who teaches them. Her influence will forever carry on as our dance programs continues. She finishes the interview with this.

“I know this is a lot of information, but once I started writing, I was enjoying reminiscing, and I could not just pick a few things to write about. As you can see, dance has been an important part of my life ….for ALL of my life. Dance brings joy. Dance allows self-expression in a way that is unique and different than all other art forms. Dance provides an opportunity for students to work hard for the goal of ‘getting better’. It builds self esteem to hear the roar of the audience as they show their appreciation for a performance. Dance just makes you feel good! Dance is joy! And Redwood started it all in Visalia!”

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