DIRECTORS

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Emily Strother discovered her passion for the pageantry arts as a member of the Union High School color guard program (2007-2013). She continued her performing career with the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps (2013), Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps (2015-2016), Eclectix Independent Winter Guard (2015), and CGT (2018-2020).

Emily has 13 years of instructional experience specializing in color guard instruction, choreography, and movement. Her educational experience includes Union HS, Braswell HS, Lebanon Trail HS, Blue Valley West HS, Santa Clara Vanguard cadets, Ménage, Mirage, and others. She has been co-founder and co-director of Mirage Performance Ensemble since 2021.

Outside of color guard, Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is an active advocate within the DFW mental health community. She is also a certified yoga teacher and enjoys incorporating principles of mindfulness, breath, and body awareness into her teaching.

When she isn’t teaching, Emily can usually be found at a yoga studio, spending time outdoors, or with her dog, Jellybean.

Malan Messemore is a Dallas, TX local. He was born and raised in the Rowlett, TX and currently lives in Las Colinas. Malan is one of the directors and founders of Mirage Performance Ensemble. He is a Color Guard Caption Lead at the Blue Stars where he has been a part of the staff since 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Arlington where he studied film, graphic design, and drawing.

Malan works as a designer and creative at Band Today, joining the team in 2024. There he produces costumes, flags, prop graphics, and more. Malan also works with local and national programs providing staging services, choreography, and full package programming.

His performing experience includes CGT (2015-2020), the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps (2013-2015), Black Gold Winterguard (2012-2014).