Dazzling Showgirls
Dazzling Showgirls
Wild As The West
As wild as the West itself were the women who helped tame it—mail-order brides and schoolmarms, sure enough, but also the dazzling showgirls who rode the rails from boomtown to boomtown. They brought music where there was dust, light where there were long nights, and a little polish to places that had only just traded tents for timber. When the mines paid out and the cattle came to town, it was the theaters and dance halls that kept the money circulating. Those stages weren’t just for spectacle; they were engines of commerce, pulling wages from calloused hands and turning them into supper, lodging, and livelihoods up and down Main Street.
Now, any honest trail hand will tell you the West had a rough edge and a shadow side. But don’t mistake grit for lack of grace. These women were trained performers—singers with lungs like bellows, dancers with timing sharper than a spur, and comedians who could quiet a rowdy room with a wink and a well-placed line. They traveled hard, learned fast, and earned their keep in a world that didn’t hand out favors. In towns that needed reasons to gather and celebrate, they gave folks a shared night under the lights and kept the doors open for everyone from the piano tuner to the tailor.
And when the curtain fell, many of those same showgirls stepped into ledgers and leases. They became managers, proprietors, investors—women who knew the value of a crowd, the cost of a ticket, and the power of a good name. They backed hotels, financed touring companies, and put their stamp on the growing towns of the frontier. So tip your hat proper. The showgirls weren’t just passing through; they helped build the West—one song, one step, and one smart business decision at a time.
MISS CASEY
Bio - Miss Casey
Performing with Marshal Pioneer Pepper since 1994
Being Pioneer Pepper’s eldest, Casey learned early how to hold her own in a dusty saloon—whether that meant kicking up her heels or stealing the spotlight. As the longest standing member of the Sunset Pioneers, aside from the Marshal himself, she brings a seasoned stage presence, a sharp wit, and a whole lot of frontier flair to every performance. With a lifetime of years in live performance, she’s no stranger to the thrill of the stage. When she’s not dazzling audiences in shows, she’s teaching the next generation the fine art of storytelling through movement—sharing her passion for dance, theatre, and aerial arts with students of all ages. Behind the scenes, she’s the creative mind wrangling the choreography, as she believes every good show—just like the Old West—ought to be a little daring, a little dazzling, and a whole lot of fun. Her choreography has been seen in productions of Chicago, Legally Blonde, Heathers, Mamma Mia, and many more musical theatre favorites—proving she’s just as handy calling the dance as she is dancing it. Whether she’s commanding the stage or guiding performers through their paces, she carries on the spirit of the Old West: bold, spirited, and always ready to put on one heck of a show. Check Miss Casey out as Kricket on the DesperateOddToes page!
Tracey
Bio - Tracey
Performing with Marshal Pioneer Pepper since 2014
Tracey, aka "Leanin' T" has been a dance instructor for over 20 years in Arizona. She teaches many genres yet specializes in Tap, Clogging, Jazz, Modern and Ballroom. She even was some of the Showgirls dance teacher at one point.
Tracey has trained dancers of all levels and ages (recreational and competitive) at studios in Mesa, Maricopa, and Surprise AZ. She has mentored Teacher Assistants, aided and taught special needs dancers and has assisted with stage management at recitals.
Tracey’s dance training began at a young age yet in 2017 she began studying Ballroom dancing and has received many certifications in American styles. She has had the opportunity to work with many Dance Masters such as Tony Dovolani, Kostadin Bidjourov, Ina Jeliazkova and Gabriela Jileva, to name a few. In addition, Tracey has attended dance conferences and training with Rhee Gold and Diane Gudat.
Tracey remains a member of Dance Masters of America. Additionally, some of her choreography has received special judge’s awards and her clogging choreography has won accolades with SW Clogging Championships.
Jennifer
Bio - Jennifer
Performing with Marshal Pioneer Pepper since 2016
Jen has been kickin’ up her heels with the Sunset Pioneers since 2016, though she first crossed trails with the troupe back in 2009 at a local dance studio. Ever since, she’s been right at home under the stage lights, bringin’ a little sparkle and a whole lotta spirit to every Wild West performance. She’s proud to be part of a show that gathers folks of all ages for a rootin’-tootin’ good time straight outta the Old West.
A true lover of the arts, Jen has been chasin’ her dancer’s dream since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. These days, she’s livin’ that dream on stage with Pioneer Pepper and the Sunset Pioneers. When she’s not performin’, you might find her lendin’ a helpin' hand as assistant choreographer alongside Miss Casey for local theater productions.
Outside the spotlight, Jen’s got a heart as big as the open range. She’s been vegan for years, spendin’ her time bakin’ up sweet treats and speakin’ up for animals. Whether she’s volunteerin’ at farm animal sanctuaries or helpin’ herd cats as co-founder in her cat sanctuary, she’s always ridin’ for a good cause.
Desarae
