Christen Manning was born and raised in Austin, Texas! She started dancing when she was only 2 years old, and by the time she was 7 years old she began competing in dance and gymnastics. Fast forward to high school, Christen attended Lake Travis High School. While at LT she was a Varsity Cheerleader, the 2009 NCA National Champion, and a dance officer for the LT Cavalettes.
Continuing her education at the University of North Texas where she was a member of the North Texas Dancers. At UNT she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma where she choreographed for Greek competitions, and realized dance was forever going to be part of her life. Before graduating, the highlight of Christen's dance career was when she spent her final year of college dancing professionally for the NHL Dallas Stars Ice Girls. In 2016 she graduated from North Texas with a Bachelor's in Dance Education.
After college, in 2017 she got married to the love of her life right here in Dripping Springs, Texas! She spent the first year of marriage freelance choreographing across the state. Her choreography has won numerous awards in both studio and dance team competitions. In 2018-2019 she started her career at Cedar Ridge High School as the Assistant Director for the Varsity dance team, the Royalty dance team, and Directed the JV Dance team, the Nobility dance team. Feeling the need to get back to the hill country, Mrs. Manning became the Asst. Hi-Stepper Director and Dazzler Director at Dripping Springs High School in 2019. In 2021 Mrs. Manning moved to DSMS! She is overjoyed to grow the Tiger Dancer Program, and loves being a DSMS Tiger!
Mr. & Mrs. Manning have a son, Baby Thomas, and a 4-year old pup, Dolly! Their family of three enjoys spending time at the lake, hiking enchanted rock, exploring new things, and cuddling with their fur baby! They love being part of the Dripping Springs family, and cannot wait to see their little Tiger grow in this amazing community!