The Hotsteppers have gone Bollywood.

Bandon’s dance team is using an Indian theme, complete with belly-dancing elements, as it prepares for the Class 3A-2A-1A state championships next week in Portland.

Sue Dodrill, an assistant coach for the team, came up with the idea after watching a movie about Bollywood dancing, and the team came to adopt it.

“I like it,” said senior captain Jordan Tipton. “At first, no one really knew exactly what Bollywood was. Once we started listening to the music and how colorful it was, it was really a fun thing to do.”

Colorful describes both the music and the team’s costumes. The girls wear matching black skirts, but each top and loose belt is a different color.

“It’s the tradition for the Bollywood theme — everybody has a different color,” said June Hinojosa, the team’s head coach.

Facial jewels complement the outfits.

Judging from the Hotsteppers’ results in their two pre-state competitions, the squad could do well next week.

Bandon finished first in its division at Grants Pass and second at Churchill.

Tipton said the crowd loved the routine in the first competition. At Churchill, Bandon impressed Churchill’s administration and was presented the Principal’s Choice Award.

More important, the team has struck a chord with the judges, who are the most important people to impress.

Tipton was part of a team that didn’t perform well at state her freshman year, but then won the first trophy in school history her sophomore year, placing fifth.

Then came last year, when Bandon used a theme from the movie “Pirates of the Carribean” and didn’t make it to the second day of the competition at state, which Tipton described as “heartbreaking.”

“We thought we did well,” she said. “The judges didn’t like what we were doing. (They) didn’t like our music and the way the dance worked with the music.”

Tipton feels the team’s experience — this is the fifth year Bandon has competed at state — has helped make the routine better.

“I think that this year we’re getting more of an idea of what the judges like to see,” she said. “I think that our routine this year is very upbeat and happy and people enjoy watching it, and that makes it enjoyable for us to perform.”

But it’s in no way easy.

In addition to various styles of Indian dance, the Hotsteppers have added the traditional elements of leaps, turns and a kick-line that are prevalent in high school competitions.

“We’re trying to hit all the elements that they seem to want every year,” Hinojosa said.

And they have to make those moves fit in with the rest of the routine.

“We have to try to incorporate traditional moves in with our theme,” Tipton said.

Hinojosa has stressed facial expressions with the team, which has spent the past several weeks trying to perfect the routine.

“It’s really hard with that music — everybody has to be really precise with the beat,” she said.

But all that hard work has been a joy.

“The kids are great,” Hinojosa said. “They love the theme and they’ve worked really hard on it.”

One thing that should help at state this week is that the Hotsteppers scored well enough at Grants Pass that they automatically will advance to the final day of the competition.

“It definitely takes off the pressure,” Tipton said. “One of the things that freaked us out last year was we hadn’t already qualified. This year, we know no matter what happens on Friday, we have a chance to go Saturday, so we can just go out and have fun.”

The squad includes Tipton and fellow seniors Clarissa Castaldi and Tyne Riddick; junior captain Alyssa Taylor and fellow junior Carrie Plouff; sophomores Haley Nolan, Dakota Bouher and Teri Straley; and freshmen Jordan Chandler and Amanda Hurley.” The Manager is Katie Neis

Tipton thinks the team has a good chance of placing higher than its fifth-place effort two years ago.

“I think all the girls have worked really, really hard this year,” she said. “We’re all excited and have really high hopes.

“We’re all pumped to go up there and do our best and hopefully come home with a really nice trophy.”

The Class 3A-2A-1Acompetition begins Friday night at 5:30 p.m. at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus. Bandon will be the fourth of seven teams in the classification to perform. Admission is $10 both Friday and Saturday nights.

The Class 4A teams, including Broookings-Harbor, follow the Class 3A-2A-1A division both nights at the Chiles Center.