Dancers step up to Orange Bowl

The group has been fundraising for the trip since January, with bake sales, dance camps, dinners, can and bottle collections, babysitting, car washes, local performances and even selling old costumes, but are still about $6,000 short, said Sorensen.

At the students’ request, a GoFundMe page was set up in September to help collect the remainder of the funds needed to cover expenses, and donations have been trickling in since then (www.gofundme.com/2rbnmyt8).

“The dancers talked to me about the GoFundMe campaign — I don’t do social media so I wasn’t clued in to how it works,” Sorensen said. “They wanted to put the GoFundMe link on their Facebook pages so that friends and family could donate if they wanted. Because I’m not on Facebook, it never occurred to me that doing it that way was a possibility.”

Go to: gofundme.com/2rbn...).

This isn’t the first time Sorensen has taken a group of dancers to a bowl game. Seven went to San Diego about four years ago to perform in the Holiday Bowl halftime show, but all felt the routine was geared more towards cheerleading than dancing.

“So when I agreed to do this again, I looked for a more dance-heavy experience,” she said. “This is why I chose the Miami trip — it will be offering more technique classes for dancers.”

Besides learning new methods, the trip will give students “a unique performance opportunity, broaden their horizons, and open their eyes to the many ways dancers can participate in this art form after high school and beyond,” she said. “They also offer academic credit and/or high school credit to the participants.”

The dancers — Audrey Becker, Isabel Lira, Elizabeth Bricker, Blair Holman, Anna Ticknor, Casey Holzman, Olivia Acosta, Sara Zeman, Ashley Hendricks, and Grace Schlemmer from Hood River Valley High, and Fiona McLaughlin and Eva Coulon from White Salmon — are Gorge Dance Academy dancers and were appointed by invitation, selected by faculty for their elite level and commitment to class attendance and rehearsals.

And they’ve additionally shown that commitment in their fundraising efforts.

“Having the dancers take on some responsibility and fundraising for their own art is constructive and enriching,” Sorensen said.

The group recently became a nonprofit, she said, under the name Columbia Gorge Company Dancers.

“In addition to what these girls can gain, I want these girls to give,” she said. “We will offer outreach to underserved communities around the Columbia Gorge. It is pure joy to bring dance to small communities or a school whose population has never had the chance to see a live dance performance, or take a class in person.”

But underneath it all is a love for what they do.

“They all really love to dance, and they love being together,” she said. “And they mostly love to perform. All this will come true for them on this trip.

“It will be one of the most unique and memorable highlights for them, from their time at Columbia Gorge Dance Academy.”

Because of the group’s nonprofit status, all donations are tax deductible. Contact Sorensen at susan@columbiagorgedanceacademy.com or 541-386-3267 for the group’s tax ID number.