Mrs. Orton is a proud graduate of Anderson High School where she was a member of the Trojan Belles Dance Team. After high school, she auditioned to become a member of the 71st line of the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes. As a Rangerette, she had the opportunity to perform in the McDonalds Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, the 75th Commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, as well as Dallas Cowboys football games, the Cotton Bowl, weekly football games, local parades, and the Rangerettes' annual show, Revels.
After Kilgore, Mrs. Orton attended Texas A&M University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology: Dance Science. At A&M, she studied many styles of dance including ballet and modern, as well as focusing on injury prevention and rehab, Pilates, dance wellness research, and choreography. During her time at Texas A&M she fell in love with Pilates and how beneficial it can be for dancers. She obtained her comprehensive Pilates certification through Balanced Body, traveling across the US for different training sessions and workshops. During her time at Texas A&M, Mrs.Orton also taught and choreographed for MA Dance Productions at various summer dance camps.
Mrs. Orton was the assistant director for the Bryan High School ShyAnnes before returning to Austin to get married. She taught Pilates full time at various studios around town for a year before coming to work at Anderson.
Mrs. Orton is looking forward to her seventh year at Anderson and will be teaching Dance I, Dance III/IV, Athletes Dance, and is the director for the Trojan Belles.
Cierra Birmingham Assistant Director
Born in Austin, Texas, Ms. Birmingham spent her young life in the dance studio. During this time, she was on competitive teams and traveled to conventions to further her dance career and training. Once in middle school, she danced with the Wiley Middle Schools Silver Spurs and later on the high school dance team, the Rouse Royals in Leander, Texas.
After high school, she was chosen to be a member on the 78th line of the Kilgore College Rangerettes, serving as Head Swingster and Captain while also dancing on the Kilgore College Modern Dance Company, Industry. During her time there, Ms. Birmingham was fortunate enough to work with choreographers such as Nappy Tabs, attend American College Dance Association, and travel to places such as Italy, New York, Florida and Switzerland to perform.
Ms. Birmingham then graduated from Kilgore College with an Associates of the Arts and headed to Sam Houston State University. During her time there, she was casted in professor pieces and directed her own piece in a show. While in Huntsville, Ms. Birmingham worked for FLEX Dance and Fitness and later graduated with her BFA in Dance. She also completed her fourth year with Crowd Pleasers Dance Company in 2021.
Before coming to Anderson High School, Ms. Birmingham was an assistant director for the Flüid Dance Company at MÜV Dance and Fitness in Leander, Texas for one year. Ms. Birmingham is looking forward to her first year at Anderson as both a dance teacher and assistant director for the Trojan Belles.
