The Pendleton High School dance team Rhythmic Mode will compete at the Hearts in Motion dance competition Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at Pendleton High School.
The Pendleton High School Rhythmic Mode Dance Team performs an exhibition show Feb. 26, 2022, during Hearts in Motion at Pendleton High School. The 2023 year event is Feb. 25.
Annie Fowler is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and has worked in the newspaper business for 35-plus years. She has covered everything from baseball to wrestling.
The Pendleton High School dance team Rhythmic Mode will compete at the Hearts in Motion dance competition Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at Pendleton High School.
The Pendleton High School Rhythmic Mode Dance Team performs an exhibition show Feb. 26, 2022, during Hearts in Motion at Pendleton High School. The 2023 year event is Feb. 25.
PENDLETON — There will be a new twist to the Hearts in Motion dance competition this year — Pendleton High School’s Rhythmic Mode dance team will be competing instead of performing an exhibition dance.
“We have never competed at our own event, but because of the new rules, we are coming to compete and try to qualify for state in contemporary,” Pendleton coach Debbie Kishpaugh said. “We are going to do both jazz and contemporary. We are coming not only to compete, but we want our community to see us. They are so supportive.”
In January, Kishpaugh was named the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches Association for spirit. She has been the girls spirit/dance coach at Pendleton for 36 years.
The 35th annual Hearts in Motion will be Saturday, Feb. 25 at Pendleton High School’s Warberg Court, and has teams from kindergarten from high school coming to compete.
Among the teams competing are Hermiston, Grant Union, Molalla and Milwaukie.
“Hermiston’s contemporary is currently ranked first in the state of Washington,” Kishpaugh said. “They have such a strong program.”
Admission is $10 for adults, and $5 for students. Children under 4 are free. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., with dancing beginning at 11 a.m. There also will be a raffle with items donated by local merchants. There is a kid-themed basket, Unicorns and Rainbows, put together by the Pendleton dance coaches.
Hearts in Motion serves as a fundraiser for Rhythmic Mode to help defray costs of traveling to the state competition, which is March 17-18 at the Salem Pavilion.
“We are slowly making a comeback,” Kishpaugh said of state dance programs. “Teams from 1A to 4A have been decimated. In our division (4A), half of the teams in the state didn’t make a comeback from COVID. We have a couple of more teams coming here this year, so we are excited about that.”
The decision for Rhythmic Mode to compete this season was based on earning a score to qualify for state.
“We now have categories,” Kishpaugh said. “You can qualify for two. Our jazz routine has qualified, but our contemporary dance wasn’t a minimum of 2 minutes, so we are trying again.”
Rhythmic Mode team members are Miranda Case, Madi Ericson, Paige Gard, Madelyn Lieuallen, Ava Redding, Sammie Stills, Aubrey Wadlington, Gabe Gorbett, Deegan Thomas, Keegan Kirkpatrick, Marissa Smith, Kherington English, Tony Willingham, Hanna Bagtong and Kennedy Deem.
Annie Fowler is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and has worked in the newspaper business for 35-plus years. She has covered everything from baseball to wrestling.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.