A group of Selah dance students stepped it up a notch to qualify for the Eastern Washington Elite Dance Team at annual auditions held earlier this month.

The Elite team trains in Tri-Cities at the Elite Cheer and Dance Center under the direction of Teri Rowe. She has led Elite dancers to earn 16 national championships and take home the 2008 world title in the hip-hop division.

Samantha Dumas and Emilee Oldham will dance on Elite’s Senior team. Haley Eckert, Amanda Esquivel, Katy Forenpohar, Samantha Lugo and Courtney McBride made the Junior team, and Allie Withrow will perform on the Youth team.

More than 80 girls from throughout Eastern Washington tried out for the teams. About 55 made the cut. Selah has a tradition of being well represented on the Elite team, Rowe said.

“Dance studios in Selah are progressive studios. They’re pushing their kids to higher levels and putting out some nice dancers,” Rowe said.
The teams will practice every weekend and occasionally put in extra rehearsal hours during the week.
“You’re pretty much giving your life away,” joked Oldham.

This is her third year dancing with Elite. The 15-year-old said being on the Elite team requires a big commitment and a lot of hard work, but is worth it.

“It improves your dance ability,” Oldham said.

“It helps me be a stronger dancer,” Dumas agreed.

Dumas, a 16-year-old Selah High student, danced with Elite two years ago, as well, but was still surprised to have made the cut this year.

“I jumped up and was screaming and crying,” Dumas said. “I’ve never jumped so high in my life.”

Angela Ringer, owner of Broadway Bound Dance Academy, has watched Dumas and many of the other girls named to the Elite team develop as dancers.

“These girls are always in the dance studio and that’s what it takes,” Ringer said. “This program will make or break any dancer.”

Most of the Selah girls named to the Elite team have been taking dance classes almost all of their lives, starting at the age of two or three.

“I just love to dance,” Eckert said. “This is just a new challenge and a new experience.”

The girls hope Elite can do for them what it has done for many former Elite dancers who have earned college scholarships to study dance and found work dancing professionally, a goal shared by more than half of the Selah girls dancing with Elite.

The Elite teams will perform at fairs and sporting events throughout the state and will compete at the National Dance Team Championships in Orlando, Florida next January.