Angie Amaro, a former Houston Texans cheerleader, has joined Seven Lakes High School as assistant director of the Sapphires varsity dance team.

Amaro attended school in the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD area, where she started dancing as a child after her mother enrolled her in ballet, tap and jazz classes. The TV show Dance Moms deepened her passion. She danced through high school and college before earning a spot on the Texans' professional cheerleading squad.

Her connection to Seven Lakes runs through Head Director Jennifer Willey. Willey taught for six years at Cypress Park High School in Cy-Fair ISD, where she served as the first Flairs assistant director for three years before becoming head director, according to the Sapphires program website. Amaro said she already knew and admired Willey when the assistant director opening came up.

The hire was a natural fit.

Amaro told The Torch, Seven Lakes' student newspaper, that she jumped at the chance to work alongside Willey and "be mentored by her." She called Seven Lakes a school with a great reputation and said she felt she belonged there.

Now on staff, Amaro said she wants to bring NFL-level style to the program. She told The Torch she hopes the Sapphires can perform alongside the Texans Cheerleaders this year, adding, "I would love to see them a little bit more stylistic." She and Willey have also discussed plans for an All Stars event that would invite middle and high school dance teams from across the Houston area, though no date or format has been announced.

Amaro described her coaching approach as centered on student safety and positive, high-energy instruction. The Sapphires program was established in 2005.

The team's next public event is the Junior Jewels Dance Clinic on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8 a.m. to noon at Seven Lakes High School's main gym entrance. The clinic is open to children from pre-K, with a minimum age of 4, through eighth grade. A performance is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23.