Tawni began twirling and dancing in 1991 under the instruction of Anita Neal at Calvary Christian School. She continued dancing at Calvary for many years in recitals and play productions while focusing on baton twirling. She was co-captain of the CCS Twirling Team and alternate member of the Dazzlers dance twirl team on which she was able to perform at pep-rallies, school sporting events, local parades and other exhibitions. Notably, she was blessed with the opportunity to twirl in front of thousands at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego and the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. As well as performing, she twirled at the competitive level in recreational and NBTA competitions. She has had extensive training with many great instructors, including National champion Cindi Wood, in one and two baton, fire baton, hoop, flag, basic strut, fancy strut, X strut, pageant modeling, solo, duet, twirl team, and dance twirl.
Although her passion was baton twirling, she also studied dance at Calvary for over ten years and then went on to Mira Costa College where she completed her Associates Degree in Dance. While earning her degree she was able to study a wide variety of dance forms including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip hop, commercial, and lyrical. Also during her time there, the dance department presented her with the Mira Costa College Dance Legacy Award, The Friends of Dance Scholarship, and the Cosmic Award for most innovative student choreography.
Her career as a teacher began in 2001 when she was hired at Calvary to teach baton twirling to Kindergarten through 12th grade students. Since then she has taught both baton and dance for Wondergrove Community Arts Center and The Kids College, as well as opening her own studio, Destiny Baton & Dance. Her students have won many awards in local parades and in competitions at the recreational, state, and regional level. |
