Michael Shapiro

Artistic Director, Color Guard Caption Supervisor, Designer

Michael Shapiro is returning to the Blue Stars for his eighteenth year as Artistic Director and Color Guard Caption Supervisor. Originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Michael currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where he serves as the Color Guard Director at Duncanville High School.

Michael was the founder, director, and designer of Corona Winter Guard in Los Angeles, California, and has been the creative force behind Mayflower Winter Guard in the United Kingdom since 2000. He has taught and designed for numerous programs, including Mirage, Ménage, West Broward High School, Tarpon Springs High School, Carroll High School, Crown Guard, and Carolina Crown.

Michael has been inducted into the WGI, WGASC, and Blue Stars Halls of Fame.

John Kregler

Color Guard Caption Manager, Choreographer

John Kregler is excited to return to the Blue Stars for his fifth year as Color Guard Caption Manager. He currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas, where he is the Color Guard Director at Timber Creek High School.

Throughout his career, John has had the privilege of teaching and choreographing for several notable programs, including West Broward High School, Tarpon Springs High School, Mayflower Winter Guard, and Mirage and Ménage Winter Guards.

Originally from Central Florida, John began his marching career at Tarpon Springs High School. He is an active choreographer and designer, working with programs across the United States and internationally. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of South Florida.

Malan Messemore

Color Guard Caption Manager

Malan Messemore is returning to the Blue Stars for his sixth summer with the color guard staff. During the winter season, he co-directs both Mirage and Ménage Winter Guards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Malan also works as a designer and creative at Band Today, where he produces costumes, flags, prop graphics, and more.

Anthony Garcia

Color Guard Choreographer

Anthony Garcia is returning for his fifteenth year with the Blue Stars as a color guard choreographer. Originally from Los Angeles, California, he currently serves as the Color Guard Director at both Arcadia High School and William S. Hart High School.

Anthony has taught and choreographed for numerous programs, including Mirage and Ménage, Vox Artium, Icon Winter Guard, and Mayflower Winter Guard. He is also a former performer with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps and Corona Winter Guard.

Justin Turner

Color Guard Instructor, Choreographer

Justin Turner began teaching the Blue Stars in 2014 after aging out with the corps, where he marched for two seasons. Since then, he has choreographed and taught for numerous organizations, including Onyx World, Icon Winter Guard, Milford High School, Onyx A, The Collective, The Pride of the Netherlands, Campbell County High School, Lakota East High School, and many other schools in the Cincinnati area.

He is currently the Head Director at Campbell County High School and serves as the Color Guard Designer for The Forest Hills Marching Band.

Justin’s performance career began in 2012 with O2 Independent Open, where he discovered his passion for the activity. He went on to march with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from 2012 to 2013, and with Onyx Independent World from 2013 to 2016, serving as captain during his final season. In 2017, he returned to Onyx for a special performance at The Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Justin currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he works as a freelance User Experience Designer for clients across the country.

Kristen Zotti

Color Guard Instructor, Choreographer

Kristen Zotti is originally from Cheshire, Connecticut, where she began her marching career with the Cheshire High School Band and its Scholastic World Class Winter Guard from 2005 to 2009. While in high school, she also performed independently with the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps (DCA) from 2007 to 2010.

After high school, Kristen performed with the Independent World Guard, Alter Ego, from 2010 to 2012. She then moved to Dayton, Ohio, to march with Zydeco Winter Guard for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In addition to her winter guard experience, Kristen marched with the Blue Stars during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and now spends her summers teaching with the corps.

Since 2014, Kristen has been the Color Guard Director at Little Elm High School in Little Elm, Texas. In North Texas, she has also worked with CGT Dallas, CGT Denton, Icon Winter Guard, and currently serves as a choreographer for several local schools.

Seth Thomas

Color Guard Instructor, Choreographer

Seth Thomas is currently the Color Guard Director at Lebanon Trail High School in Frisco, Texas. Before his appointment at LTHS, Seth served as a technician and choreographer for various programs across the DFW Metroplex. He also contributes to the color guard staff at both the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps and Mirage Performance Ensembles.

As a performer, Seth was a member of the WGI World Class Finalist CGT Performing Ensembles from 2016 to 2020 and was also a member of the 2015 Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps.

A native Texan, Seth earned his Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication with a concentration in Music Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce. He currently resides in Frisco, Texas.

Joshua De Guzman

Color Guard Instructor

Joshua is a Southern California native who grew up in the Ventura County area and moved to Chicago in 2015 to be closer to family. He has designed, choreographed, and taught for organizations across both Southern California and the Chicagoland area.

Currently, Joshua teaches full-time and serves as the Head Coach at Evanston Township High School. He also works with Prospect High School, Victor J. Andrew High School, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, and Northwestern University.

Joshua began his color guard journey during his sophomore year of high school and started teaching soon after graduating. He joined a local winter guard called Allusion, where his passion for the activity continued to grow. In 2003, he performed with the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps and aged out in 2005. He also marched with Corona Winter Guard in 2004 and again in 2006.

Most recently, Joshua co-founded the Chicago Pride Guard, which has performed at numerous LGBTQ+ events throughout the Chicagoland area.

Leah Francis

Color Guard Instructor

Leah is originally from Tampa, Florida, where she began her marching career at Tarpon Springs High School. She then went on to march two summers with the Blue Stars in 2018 and 2019.

In 2019, Leah moved to Dallas, Texas, and marched with CGT Dallas in 2020 and Mirage Performance Ensemble in 2022 and 2024. Leah has taught at several high schools, including Tarpon Springs High School (Scholastic World) and Coppell High School (Scholastic Open).

She is beyond excited to return to the Blue Stars for the third year as a member of the color guard staff!

Carrie Appel

Color Guard Instructor

Carrie Appel’s passion for colorguard began in 2011, launching an extensive marching career that included performances with Dos Pueblos High School, the UCLA Marching Band, Infinity Winterguard, Pacific Crest, Diamante, and the Santa Clara Vanguard. She also expanded her performance experience by participating in diverse ensembles such as the LA Pride Parade, the Rose Parade, the CBDNA Intercollegiate Marching Band, and the visual ensemble at Pulse Percussion.

Carrie earned her bachelor’s degree in World Arts and Cultures and Visual and Performing Arts Education from UCLA.

Now a full-time colorguard instructor, Carrie has spent the past eight years working with numerous programs across the Los Angeles area, serving as a director, choreographer, and technician. She currently holds roles as the color guard manager at Arcadia High School, director at Whittier High School, and technician with Icon IW.

During the summer, Carrie has taught with the Vanguard Cadets, Pacific Crest, and the Blue Stars. She is excited to return for her second year with the Blue Stars, working alongside their talented cast and staff!

Wesley Tyree

Color Guard Instructor

Wesley Tyree graduated from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. During college, he was an active member of several performance ensembles, including Matrix Percussion, Onyx Color Guard, Juxtaposition Color Guard, and the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps. While performing with Onyx, the group earned both a WGI gold medal and a silver medal.

After graduation, Wesley was invited to perform and compete at Nationals with the Perkins School of the Arts in Norwich, New York. In 2014, they were awarded the Joe Noce Memorial Award and were named Senior Dance National Champions.

In addition to performing locally and nationally, Wesley directed the guard at his alma mater, Westland High School, and worked with numerous programs throughout central Ohio. He also spent a year in Chicago, Illinois, working with Lake Park High School (BOA Grand Nationals Semi-Finalists), Lincoln-Way East High School, and Lincoln-Way North High School.

Since moving to Texas in 2015, Wesley has performed with Black Gold (2016), CGT Dallas (2017, 2018), CGT Denton (2020), and most recently, Mirage (2023). He has also worked with many North Texas programs, including Legacy High School, McKinney High School, Aledo High School, Hebron High School, Azle High School, and Lakeview Centennial High School.

Alongside his performance and teaching career, Wesley earned his certification in secondary dance and mathematics. He is currently the Guard Director and a Mathematics Teacher at Plano East Senior High School, an instructor for MPE, and is pursuing a master’s degree in mathematics education with dual credit certification.

Wesley is excited to continue his journey this summer with the Blue Stars!

Alex Serrano

Color Guard Instructor

Originally from Odessa, Texas, Alex Serrano marched with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps from 2013 to 2016. He later moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, where he performed with CGT Denton Winter Guard from 2018 to 2020, Origins Winter Guard in 2022, and Mirage Performance Ensembles from 2023 to 2024.

In 2021, Alex had the opportunity to teach the Colts during the DCI Celebration Tour, and he went on to serve as a choreographer for The Cadets in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He is currently on staff with the FIU Winter Guards and serves as the director of Royse City High School in Royse City, Texas.

Alex is excited to return to the Blue Stars this summer!

Natasha Rupert

Color Guard Instructor

Natasha Rupert joins us from Orlando, Florida. Originally from South Florida, she relocated to Central Florida in 2017. Natasha was a member of the Blue Stars Color Guard for five summers (2015–2019) and has since contributed to the organization as part of both the administrative team and color guard staff.

Her performance experience extends beyond the Blue Stars, including time with Premonition Winter Guard, West Broward High School, FIU Winter Guard, and Mayflower Winter Guard.

Outside of color guard, Natasha holds both a Bachelor's and Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Central Florida. She is a board-certified CPA in the state of Florida and currently works in public accounting, while continuing to pursue her passion for the arts whenever possible.

Eric Simpson

Color Guard Instructor

Originally from Perris, California, Eric Simpson is currently the color guard director at Foothill High School in Henderson, Nevada. After graduating from Citrus Hill High School, he went on to march with the Watchmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018, Gold Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019—where he earned a DCI Open Class bronze medal—and the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2021. During his age-out season, he marched with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, earning a gold medal at the 2022 DCI World Championships.

Eric also spent five seasons with Vox Artium Winterguard from San Diego, including three as captain, culminating in their championship win at the 2023 WGI Open Class World Championships.

In addition to his role at Foothill High School, Eric serves as a designer and choreographer for several programs across the Las Vegas Valley and works as a Color Guard Technician with the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps.

Outside of the marching arts, Eric is a recent graduate of the University of California, Riverside, where he earned a BA in Education, Society, and Human Development, with a minor in Public Policy. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in School Counseling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Eric is excited to bring his experience and passion to the Blue Stars this summer!

Charlee Facundo

Color Guard Instructor

Charlee Facundo is a Houston, Texas native who teaches and choreographs extensively throughout the Greater Houston Area. He currently works at Clear Lake High School, where he serves as the Color Guard Director and as an administrative assistant for the fine arts programs. Charlee has had the pleasure of working with groups such as Pearland High School (Scholastic Open), Undaunted (Independent Open), and Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps.

His passion for the performing arts began at Westfield High School in Spring, Texas. Charlee went on to march with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from 2017 to 2019, serving as captain during his final two seasons. He was also a founding member of Undaunted Winter Guard (Independent Open) and is currently performing with Mirage Performance Ensemble (Independent World), recently completing his second season.

Charlee graduated magna cum laude from Lone Star College with a degree in Visual Arts.