Pushing the Limits to Victory

As no other team has done before, Canby pushed the limits with their floors, their dancers, and their props. Each year dancers try many concepts to expand the minds of the dance world. In 2015, the team claimed their first win in 36 years (1979), the winning show ended in a flurry of baking soda. As the team walked off the floor at state their competitors and judges sat in shock. That day four years ago, the now seniors of the team experienced that come back as a team.
“As a freshman that first year, I heard my coach tell me ‘Leave it on the floor,’” shared senior Kyra Renner, which ties to the dancers’ experience as they ran off the floor covered in baking soda. “They are still the words I hear today as a senior. To me, this means killing it on the floor with no words needed to walk off. Knowing you nailed it,” explained Renner.
Since that year, the team has been nailing their competitions, and have kept their title for the past three years, and are striving for a fourth.
The coaches revealed the state routine to the team on October 11. This year, the dancers brought paint into the show. Adding paint invited many challenges. Timing and choreography struggles blocked the dancers creatively from moving forward. Paint could not be used until the state performances in March. The floor for state is used throughout the entire Winter season, so if the floor is damaged, the routine is off.
Without the paint in practice, the team had to be more precise than ever before. Making them work harder for the win, choreographer James Healy’s vision challenged the girls as a whole. This brought them their win, becoming state and grand champions with a 96.37 overall score.
Although it is good to be successful, it is better to be proud of what you accomplish as a team. Canby is not all about winning. It is about opening eyes and expanding the limits of dance. “No one has ever tried anything like this before,” claims captain, and senior, Lauren Gerig. “We try to keep improving and go farther than anyone has gone before.”
Along with her other senior captains, Taylor Smith, Amanda Stephens, and Josie Sheveland, Gerig worked hard leading the team to victory. Head coach Jennifer Chaffee believes that Canby will help spectators see dance as an art form, not just entertainment.