On May 3-5 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, The Dalles Dance Club Academy attended the Onstage New York Dance Competition, the biggest regional dance competition in the Pacific Northwest and had a record-breaking award haul with the most platinum awards in program history.
In addition, the mini group received one of the biggest awards, one of two handed out to teams, and were chosen for the entertainment award, which gave them free tuition to the national competition in Florida this summer.
“Winning the entertainment award was really special and such a big honor,” dance club coordinator Kristi Maley said. “I am so proud of those kids. They work so hard in the studio and push themselves every day to reach their goals. The club had its most successful competition ever, so it was a really rewarding year.”
Onstage New York is the ultimate talent search and competition and Portland is their biggest competition around the nation with more than 800 dancers competing from the most talented studios.
The dancers are judged by Broadway professionals from New York in jazz, ballet, lyrical, musical theater, hip hop, contemporary, song and dance, acro and open categories.
With approximately 80 studios from all over, this competition runs over four days from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day.
The dancers are scored and can receive awards ranging from bronze, which is the lowest, up to silver, high silver, gold, high gold, or platinum, the highest honors.
In the mini division, Tora Timinsky, Makenzie Barrett, Ella Anderson, Tygh Timinsky, Ava Malcolm, Jayden Hansen, Bridget Donnell, and Jocelyn Olivan earned a platinum in tap and in contemporary, had the highest scoring contemporary, the second-highest scoring group, and a judges choice award.
It was the highest this group has ever placed at this competition, jumping from 12th overall last year to second.
Tygh Timinsky also received a platinum in her jazz solo and was top-5 out of all the solos.
Donnell picked up a platinum for her jazz solo.
Morgan Donivan, Abi Pope, Anabeth From, Jessie Lamb, Isabella Beitl, Lillyannah Alvarado, and Olivia Prado were given a high gold in tap, a judge’s choice award, a platinum in jazz and claimed the 12th-highest overall score in the mini division.
Prado also added a platinum in her first-ever jazz solo.
The mini division group of Maycee Foote, London Moody, Allison Figueroa, Alyssa Nelson, Lucy Polehn, Madeleine Omeg, Uma Carosella, and Avalyn Ramirez tallied a high gold in tap, a platinum in jazz, a judge’s choice award, a top-5 finish and the overall entertainment winner.
Receiving a platinum on their duo were Foote and Moody, and Omeg had her name called as a platinum winner for her musical theater solo.
In the junior division, receiving platinum in jazz, judge’s choice, 14th overall high score, a high gold in tap, highest scoring open, and a judge’s choice award were Paige Compton, Katelyn Vassar, Tora Jo Timinsky, Nellie Wilkinson, Hayley Peterson, Bella Perez, Ahnikah Rubio, Madison Stembridge and McKenna Strain.
Perez received a platinum for her jazz/acro solo, Tora Jo Timinsky secured a platinum, a judge’s choice award and 14th overall for her teen solo.
Strain, Rubio and Stembridge were rewarded with a platinum, judge’s choice and the second-highest overall score in the teen division for their jazz trio.
In their first time competing, the junior division were winners of a high gold in tap and jazz and a judge’s choice costume award were Brianna Adams, Avery Berish, Sophia Hernandez, Angel Coker, Keily Lutgens and Janet Torres.
Katelyn Vassar, Paige Bankhead, Lorelay Berry, Hannah Kortge, Jayden Szeremi, Arianna Lopez and Elizabeth Olivan scored a high gold in jazz for their work in the teen division.
Vassar scored a platinum for her junior tap solo, and finished in the top-5 overall, and Berry grabbed a high gold in her lyrical solo.
Aidan Telles, Nathan Nanez, Evan Despain, Jordyn Hattenhauer, Gillian Wolf, Ella Morgan, Giselle Schwartz, and Sophia Pullen were honored with a platinum in jazz and posted the highest-scoring open in the senior division.
Hattenhauer and Telles garnered platinum for their duo and Telles, Despain and Nanez received a platinum for their trio.
The teen division group of Hannah Kortge, Wolf, Nanez, Despain, Hattenhauer, Vassar, Bankhead, Berry, Szeremi, Lopez and Olivan joined forces for a high gold and a judge’s choice award.
“I am extremely proud of my students, even out of the 8-year-olds, for not only competing well, but for working hard all year,” Maley said. “They put so much work and dedication into their performances.”
For more information on upcoming events, email Maley at thedallesdca @gmail.com.
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