Shelby Kai Named New Dance Caption for the Warbirds Squadron

This week, the Warbirds organization hired Shelby Kai as the Dance Caption for the Warbirds Squadron for the 2025-2026 season. The Warbirds Squadron is a lively group of professional entertainers who help ensure that fans are engaged and safe at our events. This upcoming season, the Warbirds Squadron will be at all home events as well as many mid-week events to engage the Casper community and ensure the Warbirds organization is caring for its city.

Shelby Kai's Experience

Shelby Kai started her dance training at three-years-old. She trained at Rising Star Tumbling and Dance Studio in Casper, Wyoming from 1997 to 2013, where she would often spend fifty to seventy hours per week in the studio. Her commitment and love for dance led her to many competitions, including Spotlight Dance Cup, Star Power, Headliners, and many others. From ages seven to nine, she even attended national championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. While continuing her education, Shelby also began teaching various dance styles at Rising Star. Shelby has taught students from six months to fifty years old, which has allowed her to fine-tune her teaching style and personal expertise.

Throughout her high school years at Natrona County High School, Shelby was an active member of the NCHS dance team in her freshman and sophomore years. After high school, Shelby continued to teach at Rising Star Tumbling and Dance Studio while attending Casper College. After two years under the instruction of Jodi Youmons-Jones, she earned her associate's degree.

During her time at Casper College, Shelby performed and choreographed in multiple dance genres, including modern dance, ballet, jazz, and tap, showcasing her work in four showcases and two contemporary dance concerts. Additionally, Shelby participated in musical theatre productions as a lead dancer and dance captain. She also performed a trio piece for adjudication at the American College Dance Association conference in Missouri in 2015.

After graduating from Casper College in 2015, Shelby took three years off to raise her two children, who are now 7 and 9 years old. In 2019, she assumed the role of dance director at Beating Heart Dance Studio in Casper for one year, overseeing the overall operations of the studio and ensuring a positive and enriching environment for students of all ages. In this capacity, Shelby organized and coordinated studio events, showcases, and competitions to highlight student progress and achievements. Subsequently, Shelby became the dance coach for the Natrona County High School Dance Team (NCDT) for one year, where she organized and led regular practice sessions to develop dancers' skills, techniques, and choreography.  

Since then, Shelby has continued to practice her skills independently while raising a family at home. She also recently performed in Casper’s annual Dancing with the Stars under Casper College and plans to participate in future events. Shelby is excited to join the Warbirds Squadron and cannot wait to help build the Warbirds legacy in Casper.