On Dec. 14, dance teams competed at the West Coast Elite Portland Regional at Milwaukie High School.

The competition allows dancers to compete as soloists, elite groups (2-5 dancers) and teams. West Coast Elite, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., offers regional competitions in California, Oregon, and Texas. 

Tigard sophomore Jamie Toda gave a stellar performance to earn first place out of 29 dancers in grades 9-12. In 2018, Toda placed fourth overall in the solo competition. Coming into the competition, her goal was to beat her 2018 finish.

“I love West Coast Elite because it allows us to compete solos in such a supportive environment,” Toda said.

Toda originally trained as a gymnast and made the transition to dance at age nine. She currently dances with the performing company at Westside Dance and Gymnastics Academy and is a second-year member of the Tigard Tigerettes. After high school, Toda hopes to dance at the collegiate level.

Toda and her teammates went on to earn on an impressive list of accomplishments at the competition. Tigard won three of five solo divisions, placed five soloists in the top eight of the finals, won three team divisions, earned two of the top five overall placements and was awarded Best in Contemporary, Best Showmanship and Grand Champions.

Competition Results:

Solos, First-Place:

• 9^th Grade: Tyler Zoe, Tigard
• 10^th Grade: Jamie Toda, Tigard
• 11^th Grade: Ashlyn Miller, Tigard
• 12^th Grade: Sayeh Sanaee, Lake Oswego
• Improv: Kaitlin Sandall, Stayton

Top 8 Solo Finalists (all grades):

• 1^st – Jamie Toda, Tigard
• 2^nd – Sayeh Sanaee, Lake Oswego
• 3^rd – Ashlyn Miller, Tigard
• 4^th – Kaitlyn Sandall, Stayton
• 5^th – Samantha Vaughn, Tigard
• 6^th- Jocelyn Christison, Stayton
• 7^th – Natalie Xiong, Tigard
• 8^th – Lily Morris, Tigard

Division Awards, First- Place:

• Contemporary – Glencoe
• Jazz – Tigard
• Hip Hop – Southridge
• Elite (2-5 dancers) – Stayton
• Character/Open – Tigard
• Pom – Tigard
• Kick – Union (WA)

Top 5 Placements (all routines):

• 1^st Place – Tigard’s pom routine
• 2^nd Place – Southridge’s hip hop routine
• 3^rd place – Tigard’s jazz routine
• 4^th place – Union’s kick routine
• 5^th place – Stayton’s elite routine

Overall Awards:

• Grand Champions – Tigard
• Hip Hop Champions – Southridge
• Best in Contemporary – Tigard
• Audience Choice – Milwaukie’s pom routine
• Best Choreography – Southridge’s hip hop routine & Union’s kick routine
• Technique – Glencore’s contemporary routine
• Best Showmanship – Tigard’s pom routine