Dance/Drill came together last weekend for the first competition of the season. Hosted by the Clackamas Cavalettes, teams started arriving at dawn for floor practice, make-up and hair assembly lines, and friendly smiles with expressions of “good luck” as teams passed each other in the halls. Eager to share their hard work for the judges and a supportive audience, the Cavalettes hosted a seamless and successful event.
Spectators packed the bleachers for the two round event to cheer on dancers from Rex Putnam, Gresham, West Linn, Canby, Centennial, Cleveland, Barlow, Reynolds, Wilsonville, Westview, Valley Catholic, Scappoose, Sprague, Lebanon, West Albany, Philomath, Pendleton, Lakeridge, and Clackamas.
"The dancers were friendly, encouraging and had great team spirit...All of us brought great routines, ideas and delivered great shows...How beautiful that we were their for each other!" - Debbie Kishpaugh, Head Coach Pendleton Dance Team.
Jazz, Pom, Novelty, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Modern were represented at the event, with several categories divided between 1-5A and 6A schools. For 6A, Hip Hop was among the largest categories with 6 teams. Pom category was action-packed for 1-5A with 7 teams. Jazz, Novelty, and Modern category classifications were merged together, with Novelty having 6 entries, the most teams in a combined 1-6A breakdown.
Missing from the category line-up for this time of year was Kick and the Solo/Duo/Trio categories, but they will both make an appearance next weekend (11/23) when teams head to the Reynolds and West Albany Competitions.
Round one featured Jazz (1-6A), Pom (1-5A and 6A), and Novelty (1-6A). Winning routines were performed by Barlow (Jazz), Westview (6A Pom), Canby (1-5A Pom), and Clackamas (Novelty). A fantastic start to some great routines! Round one concluded with a Novice and Advanced drill down battle with the top ten in each level.
Round two balanced out the remaining categories with Contemporary (1-5A and 6A), Hip Hop (1-5A and 6A), and Modern (1-6A). Receiving the highest score of the day (86.22) and a Superior rating, was Clackamas with their 6A Contemporary routine. Valley Catholic dazzled the audience with their striking Contemporary routine as well, receiving first place among the 1-5A teams in that category. Hip Hop teams receiving top honors for the day were West Linn (6A) and Scappoose (1-5A). The Modern Category wrapped up round two, with a win for Canby.
When all was danced and done, there were a handful of nail-biting close races by many teams. The next several weeks will be quite the journey as fine-tuning at practice takes place and new eyes score the routines from week to week. The final numbers at the Clackamas Competition came down to a pair of first place wins for Canby, a pair of wins for Clackamas, and many more success stories throughout the day.
Superb performances by all teams, with a handful of impressive scores for the first weekend of competition. Several performances also received various qualification requirements for the OSAA State Championships, as Jazz, Hip Hop, and Pom are three of the six State Championship categories (Kick, Show, and Traditional are the other three, and will enter the scene later in the season). Winning routines are shared below:
Clackamas Competition - First Place Performances:
- Jazz: Sam Barlow (73.72)
- Pom (6A): Westview (70.33)
- Pom (1-5A): Canby (73.72)
- Novelty: Clackamas (77.44)
- Contemporary (6A): Clackamas (86.22)
- Contemporary (1-5A): Valley Catholic (84.44)
- Hip Hop (6A): West Linn (75.72)
- Hip Hop (1-5A): Scappoose (80.17)
- Modern: Canby (82.72)
- All Placements
The Dance/Drill season continues at Reynolds and West Albany next Saturday.
healeyjamesr@gmail.com
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