Gonna dance the night away

Published 9:04 am Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The stars are coming out Friday night.

The third annual “Dancing With the Freeborn County Stars,” a fundraiser for the Freeborn County Chapter of the American Red Cross, will be held at 7 p.m. Friday in the Albert Lea High School auditorium.

A takeoff from the popular television series, the event has eight couples who have been working since January. Each couple will perform a routine and receive a score from the judges. Each judge will rate the dancers based on technique and showmanship.

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When all the couples have performed, audience members are able to go to the lobby and vote with their monetary contributions for a favorite team during intermission. Jars will be labeled for each couple. The winner is then determined by a combination of the judges’ score and the amount of money raised by the couple.

There will also be an Audience Choice award. People can add their ticket stubs to the jars during the regular voting for this award.

After the intermission, Joey Ray and Amy Heath as well as Harmony Junction Barbershop Chorus will perform while the votes are being tabulated.

Jeanie Opdahl, executive director of the local Red Cross chapter, said the eight “stars” were paired with dancers from the Dance Yourself Silly dance studio in January based on height. Each couple was taught a different type of dance by instructor Roberta Grahn.

These are the couples and the dances they will perform: Donald Kimber and Sally Walker, rumba; Julie Bernau and Mark Thompson, East Coast swing; Garry Erickson and Bev Rothmeier, foxtrot; LeAnn Juveland and George Rothmeier, samba; Ryan Shea and Darcy Netzer, mambo; Paul Hansen and Dawn Thompson, tango; Angie Stadheim and Joey Ray, bolero; and Joy Shaft and Mike Walker, waltz.

Opdahl said the couples had to coordinate their schedules for learning their dances and for practice. They practiced at a variety of places.

“We’ve had people practicing at Good Sam and other years they’ve practiced at the courthouse and the fire hall,” she said. This week, practices moved to the high school auditorium.

This year’s judges are Jordan Bohonek, Allison Ciota and Diane Heaney.

Opdahl said the idea for the fundraiser came from another Red Cross Chapter in La Crosse.

It’s been a very good fundraiser, she said. The first year of the event brought in $17,000. Last year, the goal was $20,000, but $30,000 was raised.

“It was absolutely fabulous,” she said.

The event has sponsors at platinum, gold, silver and bronze levels. “We are very grateful to our sponsors,” Opdahl said.

Money is also raised through ticket sales and “votes.”

Last year, Opdahl said the event was sold out and people had to be turned away. A limited number of tickets remain for this year’s show. They are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 years and younger and available for purchase at the Red Cross office.

“I don’t recommend waiting until that night to get tickets,” Opdahl said.

All the money raised will fund Red Cross programs in Freeborn County, such as disaster response and preparedness, education (water safety, CPR, first aid, baby-sitter training and more) and Armed Forces Emergency Services.