Kicks that soar through the air, turns that charm the audience, and leaps that fly high to the sky. The James Bowie Silver Stars are known for their clean dancing technique and dances that will stun an audience.

The Silver Stars put hard work into each of their performances with practices before and after school as a daily routine. However, this year their new dance director, Leanne Bilnoski, gives this team of girls the new twist that they’ve been waiting for. Bilnoski jumped at the opportunity to work with the Silver Stars, already previously knowing how talented this team of girls are.

“I grew up in Austin and I graduated from Anderson High School,” Bilnoski said. “I knew how great the Silver Stars were and when the opportunity came to work here, I jumped on it.”

Bilnoski came into this job with a ton of experience, previously being a Kilgore Rangerette, one of the first precision dance teams created in 1940, proving her credibility as a coach for dancing.

“I grew up dancing at a local Austin studio, then I was a part of the Anderson Trojan Belles in high school,” Bilnoski said. “After I graduated, I attended Kilgore Junior College and was a Kilgore College Rangerette. After Rangerettes, I graduated from UT Austin with a dance degree.”

Bowie was staggering for Bilnoski at first, but the Silver Stars have made her transition easier.

“It was a little overwhelming at first because this is huge school and large program, but everyone has been so helpful and welcoming,” Bilnoski said.

Bilnoski describes this year’s team of Stars as brilliant young ladies and is glad that she was given the opportunity to work with them.

“The Silver Stars are such a hard-working group of young ladies, with such big hearts and I am blessed to be able to work with them every day,” Bilnoski said.

Some of the Silver Stars, like junior Savannah Savoy, love Bilnoski adding that she gives the Stars a new and fresh touch.

“Having a new director is refreshing, to have a new set of eyes on the team is exciting and different,” Savoy said. “We have new aspects and qualities brought to the team every day.”

The Silver Star captain, senior Morgan Andrews, adds that with the new director arriving there were some pressures for her at first, but she eventually came over that obstacle.

“In the beginning it was pretty scary because we got a new director a couple years ago and that was difficult,” Andrews said. “But our new director is so kind and she loves what she does so it really helps us get even more passionate about what we do.”

The Silver Stars note that Bilnoski has helped them improve their technique, making sure their formations are cleaned and polished.

“Ms.Bilnoski is very technical based, with polishing and cleaning being her main focuses,” Savoy said. “She brings a lot to this team, and makes our formations look stunning.”

Comparing the previous director and the current one, Bilnoski teaching style favors more drill line dancing based, which is more effective for the Stars.

“They both had their strengths, but I think from a drill-team perspective, Bilnoski has more knowledge on drill precision with her experience being a rangerette,” Andrews said.

Bilnoski hopes that this year she can bond with the girls all while keeping them at the top of their game.

“My goals this year are to grow as a family, build and improve our dance technique and to continue with the traditions of Silver Stars, while moving into the future,” Bilnoski said.