INFO:Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars (currently in its eighth season), Dancing for the Starswill feature six Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience will vote for their favorite celebrity dancer. The stars include: Christina Bolden (Professional Dance Instructor / Choreographer), Jean Robert de Cavel (4-Star Chef and Restaurateur), Damon Lynch III (Pastor, New Prospect Baptist Church), Julie Raleigh (Community Volunteer /Choreographer – Jr. BenGals), Yvonne Robertson (Community Volunteer), Phil Schworer (President – Cincinnati Bar Association / Environmental Lawyer)
CINCINNATI, OH – Who will be voted Cincinnati’s best celebrity dancer?Which stars have the right moves to rule the dance floor?Find out on Saturday, May 23, 2009 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) presents its third annual Dancing for the Stars at the Music Hall Ballroom to benefit CAA’s Overture Awards and Academy – the nation’s largest locally run high school arts scholarship competition.
Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars (currently in its eighth season), Dancing for the Starswill feature six Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience will vote for their favorite celebrity dancer. The competitive dance for the evening will be the Waltz, and each dance pair will have 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.
In addition, Dancing for the Starswill feature:
·Silent auction, featuring a variety of dance items… and more!
·Showcase dance by 2009 Overture Award winner in dance, Hannah Aicholtz
·The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra
·Popular ballroom DJ Tony Rimkus
·Pre-event VIP Patron reception
·Dance lessons before the competition
·Open dancing before and after the competition
·Catering provided by Jeff Thomas
·Cash bar
The event will benefit the stars of tomorrow – the talented high school artists who participate each year in CAA’s Overture Awards and Academy.The Dancing for the Stars committee includes:Sue Gilkey (chair), Jenell Walton (honorary chair), Valerie Amburgey, Christina Bolden, Judy Guttadaro, Algernon Johnson, Kathy O’Brien, Julie Raleigh, Rosemary Schlachter, and Jane Mary Tenhover.
Tickets are currently on sale at the following levels:
$50 – Friend
$100 – Patron (includes priority seating, program recognition, pre-event reception, and twodrink tickets)
$1,000 – Corporate Table (ten Patron level tickets and a full-page, black & white program ad)
Reservations and Information(a portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible):
THE STARS:Christina Bolden (Professional Dance Instructor / Choreographer), Jean Robert de Cavel (4-Star Chef and Restaurateur), Damon Lynch III (Pastor, New Prospect Baptist Church), Julie Raleigh (Community Volunteer /Choreographer – Jr. BenGals), Yvonne Robertson (Community Volunteer), Phil Schworer (President – Cincinnati Bar Association / Environmental Lawyer)
THE PROS:Bonita Brockert, Doreen Beatrice, J.C. Bryant, Doug Reynolds, Desiree Mainous, Jeremy Mainous
THE JUDGES:Eleanor Lachman, Chris O’Brien, Veronica Rocco-Homme
THE HOSTS:Janeen Coyle (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM) and Rockin’ Ron Schumacher (on air personality, 103.5 WGRR-FM)
THE OVERTURE AWARDS / ACADEMY
The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition is the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country.The program annually provides a $2,500 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship.Each year, more than 450 students are nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Finals and Final.
The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. All former and potential competitors are also given the opportunity to study with professionals in their discipline at the OvertureAcademy, scheduled annually each Fall. Now in its 13thyear, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).
CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the AronoffCenter for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves more than 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached nearly three-quarters of a million students.
