Coach Traci Gagner had one goal in mind when the dance team competed at Thurston lastweekend: find out which girls were ready to compete in their state routine. After placing fourth in their five team division, Gagner is not yet sure of the answer to that question. The Huskiettes used a modified version of their jazz routine instead of the routine that they will use in the state competition.
“We didn’t have time to put the formations on the floor because of the weather problems,” said Gagner. Besides that, they had changed their theme to a new one based on “Footloose”.
So this became more of an opportunity to add less experienced dancers to the production to see if they could execute and project and have the confidence to sell the show.
The Huskiettes had mixed reviews from Gagner after the two rounds of the competition.
“They did the best that I’ve seen them do in the first round,” said Gagner. “In the second round, they didn’t have enough energy.”
Of the three rated categories, execution, content, and overall effect, the dancers received their highest marks in execution, though that may have been deceiving since all teams were generally rated higher in that category. Gagner said the point differential between the teams was not that great, but they need to move up a level to be contenders for awards.
On February 7, the Huskiettes will perform at Stayton using their state routine for the first time so the scores will mean much more. Following that competition, the Huskiettes will host another dance clinic on February 14.