Lake Oswego places five dancers on 6A team; Stayton Highlights make-up half of 4A-1A team
January 29, 2020 by Danielle Schneider, OSAAtoday
On Jan. 19, senior dancers from around the state auditioned for the 2020 Dance Drill Coaches Association (DDCA) All-State Team.
The DDCA has sponsored the All-State Team since 2011, a duty previously held by the OSAA. Unlike other all-state teams, only seniors are eligible to audition.
Each dancer must be recommended by their coach as meeting core dance skills, must be in good standing with their team/school, and all members of their coaching staff must be a member of the DDCA in order to be eligible to audition.
Candidates learned the Jazz portion of the All-State routine ahead of time via video. After a quick warm-up, candidates performed the Jazz routine in groups of three to five before a panel of three judges.
The candidate field was cut in half and the finalists learned the hip hop and contemporary portion of the routine, which was then performed before the same panel of three judges. From the finalists, the 2020 All-State Team was selected.
The audition included 144 dancers: 91 from 6A, 31 from 5A and 22 from 4A-1A. Notable accomplishments include: Lake Oswego naming five dancers to the 6A team; Stayton earning half of the spots on the 4A-1A team; and Philomath, Valley Catholic, Pendleton, Silverton, and Lakeridge each earning two spots on their classification’s team.
“The experience of All-State was incredible,” Stayton senior Jasmin Johnson said. “It was such an amazing opportunity my teammates and I were able to experience. I’m incredibly thankful and so proud of my teammates for making the All-State team.”
2020 DDCA All-State Dance Team
4A-1A:
Libby Barkhurst, Valley Catholic
Aubrey Casey, Philomath
Brylie DiGesualdo, Stayton
Macey Frost, Stayton
Jasmin Johnson, Stayton
Jordyn McMullen, Philomath
Haleigh Peralta-Davis, Valley Catholic
Kaitlin Sandall, Stayton
5A:
Elena Barajas, North Eugene
Corinne Berning, Silverton
Alyssa Marstall, South Albany
Brooklyn Nord, Scappoose
Emily Rinehart, Pendleton
Collin Taber, Pendleton
Kenna Young, Thurston
Samantha Zurcher, Silverton
6A:
Devi Charlton, Lake Oswego
Stacey Choi, Oregon City
Allie Coder, Lakeridge
Hailey Dickerson, Clackamas
Lucinda Feuerherdt, Tualatin
Grace Freemont, Lake Oswego
Naomi Friedman, Lincoln
Madeline Hacker, Sam Barlow
Rachel Hansen, Canby
Madison Hirsch, Lake Oswego
Vora Limpaphayom, Sunset
Jillian Plahn, Tualatin
Jenny Rodas-Hills, Lakeridge
Sabrina Safari, Lake Oswego
Sayeh Sanaee, Lake Oswego
Julia Takahashi, Southridge
Sydney Traina, Sherwood
Lily Xia, Westview
This year’s All State routine was choreographed by Lisa Zaragoza, current dance coach for the University of Oregon Cheer Team and a former Blazer Dancer. The 2020 DDCA All State Team will perform at the 2020 OSAA Dance and Drill Championships on March 20-21.
Macey Frost, Brylie DiGesualdo, Jasmin Johnson, Kaitlin Sandall celebrate after being named to the 4A-1A All State Team.