The gym doors flew open and a group of middle school girls swept out, smiles flashing from a successful dance performance during the Jan. 14 Festival of Dance, hosted by the Sprague High School Olyannes dance team. Teams from as far away as Redmond participated.
I met Olyannes coach Vernita Reyna behind the scenes. She described how thrilled she was to see the growth in the elementary and middle school teams' abilities since last year's competition.
She introduced me to the Olyannes' five captains, who took time to tell me about their sport. A demanding discipline, team dancing is a year-round commitment, and Sprague has had a team since 1978.They perform at high school games and dance competitions.
Each member is required to audition with a self-choreographed dance and deliver a convincing speech to the team. The captains said keeping communication open among themselves and building strong relationships keeps the team cohesive.
"The captains definitely helped (in) welcoming me," said senior Stacie Lien, who now is a captain herself.
Unlike Autumn Kennedy, who has taken 13 years of dance lessons from a private studio, Summersby Sachs has been on the team for three years and had no previous experience.
"I had to ask others for help," she said, "but I knew (the team) wouldn't judge me."
The captains all praised their supportive parents.
"Give a shout out to them," Lien said.
"They really are with us everywhere," added Collyn Johnson, a team captain.
"I love watching the kids compete," said parent Dana Lund. His daughter, Sydney, recently became a team member.
Some coaches use fear to get better performances, but the girls assured me Reyna is different.
"I think she uses love as a technique," Johnson said.
During the festival, the Olyannes were assigned to visiting teams to "pretty much be their ultimate host," said Matti Menser, a team captain.
No Salem schools in the younger grades have dance teams, so Olyannes visit middle schools to promote summer Kids Camp and invitational events such as this one.
Inside the gym, screams from teams in the bleachers and loud music accompanied energized dancers as they twirled, leaped and whipped their hair around through their routines.
Most girls' faces bore heavy stage makeup. One team sported nymph-like motifs, while Tigard's Westside All Stars dance team glared angrily at its audience with vampire faces.
Olyanne Allyssa Cole coordinated Sprague graduates in a performance in the last act. This Sprague Olyanne alumni team included two pregnant women.
"I hear you're dancing for two," announcer Tyler Allen called out to one of them, Acadia Maggi, before the alumni team's routine started.