After we announced our intention to take the 2021 season off, we launched our new dance program: Superstition Dance. We very quickly realized that our membership was willing to go above and beyond to keep each other safe, doing whatever was necessary to continue participating in the activities they loved. After WGI announced their format for the 2021 virtual season, we received numerous requests to organize a small group to compete. As a board, we put together our list of requirements and announced it to the members of Superstition Dance and the Trainee Program. Within a week we had a full team of talented young individuals who were willing to follow all of our health and safety guidelines to a "T." The team only rehearsed four hours a week and we often had many people absent due to our strict health requirements, but by the end of February we had put a full Open Class show on the floor and we were recording our first performance. Despite all the challenges that were thrown at this group of young adults throughout the last two years, they persevered and created for themselves, and for the staff, the environment they needed to stay happy and healthy.
Thank you all so much for creating My Oasis.
-Austin Yost, Executive Director
Thank you all so much for creating My Oasis.
-Austin Yost, Executive Director
2021 Members
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Alyssa Caldwell
Bekka Wyatt Brooke Blanchard Cassie Wyatt Coryn Felix DejaVu Birney Elizabeth Kasel Guadalupe (Lulu) Ruiz Jamy Contreras Jillian Clark Jose Campos Katie Shaver Larissa Cameron Madison Bautista Megan Weissmann Nic Schlip Omar Hinogiante Racine Merritt Sabrina Nunez Sam Kozlowski Sofia Vine Zeth Shirley |
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Our Staff
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Austin Yost Director/DesignerAustin's performing arts journey began at Highland High School where he participated in the Marching Band Colorguard, Winterguard, Concert Band, Orchestra, and Choir programs. After high school, he began his Drum Corps career at The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2013. The following summer he auditioned for the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from Canton, Ohio where he spent the summers of 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. He also spent a season marching winterguard with FeniX Independent World in 2014. Aside from his performance career Austin has also been teaching colorguard in Arizona since his graduation from High School in 2013. He served as the Colorguard Director and a Visual Designer at Mesa High School from 2014-2019 and as the Colorguard Director at Higley High School since 2018. Austin has also served as a Colorguard Instructor at the Academy Drum and Bugle corps since 2019. Austin founded Oasis Ensembles in 2016 and has since pushed to expand the program to include as many young performers in Arizona as possible. Aside from the world of the performing arts, Austin also works as a Casting Director for the Sanctum of Horror Haunted House which has been recognized as Arizona's Best Haunted House in both 2016 and 2017. During the day you can find Austin at Starbucks where he works as a Shift Supervisor.
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Lydia Page Asst. DirectorLydia Page began her colorguard career at Highland High School, performing in the Marching Band and Winterguard. While attending High School she also participated in Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra. After graduating in 2013, she began her drum corps career with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. She continued marching at the Academy serving as Colorguard Captain from 2014-2016. She helped to lead the corps to their highest placement ever in 2016 when they became first time world class finalists at Drum Corps International World Class Championships. Lydia has also performed with FeniX Independent World in 2016 and 2017. Her teaching career began in 2014 at Highland High School where she joined the staff and helped to expand the program to two winter teams for the first time ever. She also has taught at Mesa High School from 2015 to 2016 and at Campo Verde High School from 2017 to 2018. Lydia is currently the Assistant Director at both Higley High School and Oasis Winterguard as well as serving as the Board President of Oasis Ensembles. Lydia graduated from Arizona State University in 2017 with a degree in Psychology and currently works at Starbucks as a Barista.
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Xenia Vandendriessche Technician/ChoreographerXenia Vandendriessche started colorguard in the summer of 2009 at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Arizona where she spun all four years until graduating in 2013. The following summer, Xenia toured with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. Xenia then went on to participate in the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band as a Color Guard performer in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. While attending ASU, Xenia was also a member of FeniX Independent World for their 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. Xenia has a passion for teaching and educating the next generation of spinners. She taught at Mesa High School from 2014 to 2016 and at Mountain View High School from 2017 to 2019. During the day Xenia works as a Talent Relations Specialist at Medix and enjoys spending time with her cat, Kat.
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Erin Owens Gonzalez TechnicianErin Owens began her colorguard career at Sevier County High School in Sevierville, TN. After graduating in 2011 she began her collegiate level performing with the University of Tennessee Colorguard where she would later hold positions as a Squad Leader and Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Colorguard. During her undergraduate Erin also performed with Attraction Winterguard and began her teaching career with many notable guard programs in the greater Knoxville area such as Heritage HS, Sevier County HS, Alcoa HS, Oak Ridge HS, and currently Jefferson County HS, where she is lead Designer and Choreographer. After graduating with bachelors in Music Education Erin continued being a music educator and colorguard instructor as well as a traveling choreographer. Recently, Erin spent the 2018 winter season in Northwest Arkansas with Avant Independant in Fayetteville, AR and Bentonville High School Winterguard programs in Bentonville, AR. Since her move to Arizona, Erin has worked with Mountain Ridge High School, Saguaro High School, Higley High School, Oasis Ensembles, and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. Erin now resides in Tempe, AZ and enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband.
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Cody Schmidlin TechnicianIn 2008, Cody began his color guard career at Perry High School in Gilbert, AZ. From there, he attended the University of Arizona where he earned Bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Spanish/Portuguese while spinning with the Pride of Arizona Color Guard. Additionally, Cody marched with Veracitas Independent Open (2011) and FeniX Independent World (2015, 2016). Currently, Cody serves as the Color Guard Director at the Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, AZ. Outside of the marching arts, Cody is a Cancer Biology PhD Candidate at the University of Arizona where he studies the temporal and contextual relationship of oxidative stress and cancer.
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