Dance Director

Coach Blake Been is currently the dance instructor at Henderson Junior High and Stephenville High School where she also directs the Ever Popular Stingerettes Drill Team. She is a dance artist based in Texas with a passion for education. Her philosophy is based on students' individuality and how to make them feel safe and understood in the classroom and performance spaces. As a student and teacher, it is a privilege to help those who want to succeed. She hopes to make the classroom a safe space for students to grow, engage in what they are learning, and explore new aspects of themselves as people!

Coach Been is an artist originating from Stephenville, TX, where she is a SISD graduate K-12. She has years of dance experience, and has been teaching dance in many different avenues for around 8 years. Throughout the years, she has choreographed and performed for young aspiring artists. She started her journey as a drill team and studio dancer. During that time, she studied styles such as jazz, pom, kick, hip-hop, contemporary, modern, lyrical, ballet, novelty, production, prop, tap, & clog. She joined her high school drill team, Stephenville High School Stingerettes, in 2015. She served in many positions, including Captain, which she held during her senior year. 

Coach Been then attended Trinity Valley Community College. She was a TVCC Cardette from 2020-2022 under the direction of Darla Mansfield and Emma Cox. She had the honor of performing across the state and the nation in performances such as the Dallas Holiday Parade (Fall 2021), the Texas State Fair Parade (Fall 2021), and Cardette Curtain Spring (Spring 2021 and 2022). As a TVCC Cardette, she competed with the Cardette Showgirls, winning awards such as Pom National Champion at Dance Team Union in Orlando, Florida (Spring 2022). She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity Valley Community College with a Liberal Arts degree focusing on Dance. She then attended Texas Woman's University to pursue her B.A. in Dance Education. She has expanded her dance training at TWU by studying Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Urban Global, and African Diaspora styles. She has learned from numerous teachers, including Dr. Charmian Wells, Dr. Robin Conrad, Dr. Ilana Morgan, Charles Collins, Makayla Rosenberger, Allen LaPointe, Sarah Gamblin, and Elisa De La Rosa. She also gained experience performing at shows held at TWU, including Dance UpClose (Fall 2022) and Dance Makers (Fall 2023 & Spring 2024). Her last semester at TWU (Spring 2025) was spent student teaching under her mentor teacher, Stacey Elkins, and her university supervisor, Makayla Rosenberger. Been graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Woman's University with a Dance degree with a minor in Education.