About
Diamond Dazzlers
The Diamond Dazzlers are the national award-winning varsity dance team at Akins High School, dedicated to excellence in performance, leadership, school spirit, and team culture. As ambassadors for our campus and community, the Diamond Dazzlers represent Akins with pride through football season performances, pep rallies, competitions, community events, and spring productions. Team members are challenged to grow not only as dancers, but also as disciplined, respectful, and driven young leaders. Through a strong foundation of artistry, teamwork, and accountability, the Diamond Dazzlers strive to create a positive legacy while fostering lifelong friendships and unforgettable experiences.
JV Sparkling Sapphires
The JV Sparkling Sapphires are a dedicated group of dancers who represent our school through performance, teamwork, and school spirit. Sapphires build a strong foundation of dance technique while performing at home football games, contest, and other various school based performances. Sapphires focus on developing skills, confidence, and leadership as they grow within the JV Sparkling Sapphires program and prepare for future opportunities in the dance department.
Principles of Dance I-IV and Life Time Fitness and Dance
Dance Classes at Akins High School allows students to receive their fine arts credit and a PE credit. Dance classes provide students with the opportunity to develop technique, creativity, and performance skills in a supportive and engaging environment. Students learn various styles of dance including jazz, hip hop, ballet, modern, and tap while building choreography skills, musicality, and teamwork. Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to perform in our annual Winter Show and Spring Show, showcasing their growth and celebrating the art of dance within our school community. No experience is necessary!
Grace Leeper-Haney
Head Dance Director
grace.leeper-haney@austinisd.org
Grace Leeper-Haney is a movement creator and dance educator from New Braunfels. Grace began dancing at a young age at Hermann Sons Dance Studio, where she trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop. It was there that her passion for dance and performance first began to flourish.
Grace continued her dance journey through middle school dance team and later became a member of the award-winning varsity dance team at Canyon High School. Combining her love for dance with strong leadership abilities, she served as Junior Lieutenant before being appointed Captain her senior year. During her final season, she led her team to earn an Overall Grand Champion Team Title at a national dance competition.
After graduating high school, Mrs. Leeper-Haney attended Texas State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a focus in education.
Mrs. Leeper-Haney currently serves as the Head Dance Director of the Diamond Dazzlers and Sparkling Sapphires at Akins High School. Under her direction, the program has earned multiple High Point Awards, Overall Grand Champion titles, and a National Championship title, while continuing to build a strong culture centered around artistry, discipline, leadership, and team unity.
As a dance educator, Grace works to create an environment where dancers feel equally challenged and supported physically, socially, and emotionally. She strives to cultivate a space where every student feels valued for their unique contributions within both the classroom and team setting, while encouraging growth not only as dancers, but also as confident and compassionate leaders.
Laura Smarrella
Assistant Dance Director
Laura Smarrella began dancing at the age of 13 and attended New Caney High School, where she served as Dance Team Colonel for two years and earned multiple solo championships. She has trained in jazz, pom, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap, and kick. At the age of 18, Laura had the opportunity to perform in the Super Bowl LI halftime show with Lady Gaga.
Ms. Smarrella earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from Texas State University and later completed her Master’s degree in Education. While in college, Laura was a four-year member of the Texas State Strutters and also served as a collegiate assistant for TDEA, gaining valuable experience in leadership, choreography, and team organization. During her time on Strutters, she performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade, a San Antonio Spurs halftime show, and aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas cruise ship.
Ms. Smarrella currently serves as the Assistant Dance Director at Akins High School. In this role, she primarily oversees the JV Sparkling Sapphires dance team, focusing on building and developing foundational dance technique, performance quality, and team skills. She also assists the Varsity Diamond Dazzlers with program development, performances, and competitions while supporting the overall growth of the dance program.
