Partners
Julie Stevens - Partner / Director of Dance
Julie is a co founder of Dance Dimensions, Inc. which has operated in Boise since 1982. Julie holds a Bachelor's degree in Dance, Physical Education, and Health Science, and is a member of the Idaho Dance and Cheer Coaches Association. Many of the students trained under Julie have continued their dance careers as professional dance teachers, performers in professional dance companies, professional football and basketball teams, and cruise ship dance performances.
She has also served as an instructor and head instructor for the United Spirit Association (USA) since it's early beginnings in 1971. At USA she has taken an active role in program development and staff training . She worked as a physical education teacher at Capital High School from 1972-1982 and coached field hockey, basketball, track and field, and--of course--dance. She continues to coach the Capital High Golden Girls Dance team. Julie is nationally recognized as one of the foremost dance coaches in the nation. She even choreographed the Aloha Bowl half-time production for six years. Her expertise has brought her numerous honors (see below), and she has judged many regional dance competitions as well as UCA/UDA Nationals.
Julie Stevens has also been the director of the Boise State Cheerleaders and the Harvey Neef Maneline Dancers since 1982. In her tenure she has watched Boise State grow from a small 1-AA school to the large university it is today. She has coached 4 dance teams to national championships (1993, 1999, 2000, 2001), and has brought consistent national rankings to both the cheer and dance programs at Boise State. Her face is recognizable to almost all cheerleaders and dancers in the state, and her footprints have permanently improved cheer and dance throughout the state.
Julie holds the following credentials and certifications:
* NCSSE Safety Certified (Master Level)
* First Aid
* CPR (With AED)
* ACCAA Safety Certification
*Special Honors:
* Drill Team Hall of Fame 1982. Coach of the Year
* "Coaches of the Century" designation by Cheerleader Magazine
* 2001 Idaho Dance Educator of the year AHPERD
* Who's Who of US Cheerleading Coaches
2000-06
* 2007 National Cheerleader Coach of the Year Nomination
Lael Wood - Partner / Director of Social Dance
Lael Wood has been dancing Salsa since 2004. After joining some friends for “Latin Dancing” one night at the Boise Café, the infectious rhythm and beat of the music was the beginning of her passion for the dance. Lael has travelled to many Salsa Congresses including Puerto Rico taking lessons and workshops from the top names in the industry such as Abel Pena and Zulmara Torres, Junior and Emily, Edie “the Salsa Freak”, Al Liquid Silver, Liz Lira, PB & G, and many more. Lael has done several performances around Boise including the Special Olympics, Music Week, Boise All –star Salsa Event, and Hot Pepper Nights, to name a few. Lael currently teaches Beginner/Intermediate level classes at Dance Dimensions.
Jonathan Wood - Partner / Director of Cheer
Jonathan Wood is the founder and president of Legacy Spirit, a company that provides cheerleading and dance summer camps, educational materials, and choreography services. His innovative choreography has led to many successful high school camps and competition routines. Jon is also the founder and head coach of the Idaho Wildfire all-star cheerleading team. Additionally, Jon is also the Idaho State Director for the National Center for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE), the nation’s most comprehensive cheerleading education and safety certification system. As the State Director he conducts safety certification courses for cheerleading coaches at all levels in both school and all-star programs. He has also contributed to recent editions of the NCSSE safety manuals.
Jon is also the assistant coach for the Boise State cheerleaders since 2003. His connection to the Boise State Spirit Squad started in 1997, when he was a freshman in college. He cheered for six consecutive years while in college and graduate school, and was a member of the team in 2003 when it made its competitive debut and placed 8th at USA Nationals. Jon specializes in designing transitional pyramids and choreographing routines for timeouts, pep rallies, and competitions. He choreographed the team’s 2005 and 2006 competition routines, both of which placed fourth at USA Collegiate Nationals as well as the team's 2nd place routine in 2007 and 1st place routine in 2008. Currently, Jon is co-authoring the NCSSE's collegiate manual. He is also authoring the forthcoming book Coaching Cheerleading: Building Powerful Cheerleaders and an Impressive Team, which focuses on cheerleading-oriented strength training, safety, and stunt techniques. He is also developing the website traintocheer.com, a website dedicated to educating atheletes and coaches with video and other digital media. It will launch in February of 2008.
Jonathan holds a Master’s degree in English and teaches part time as an adjunct in the English. Department at Boise State; he has published work related to both cheerleading and English.
Jonathan holds the following coaching credentials and certifications:
* NCSSE Safety Certification (Master Level)
* First Aid
* CPR (with AED)
* ACCAA Safety Certification
Coach Wood's Favorite Aphorisms
No one has ever drowned in sweat. –Lou Holtz
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. –John Wooden
Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it. –Lou Holtz
