Dancing for the Stars 09 WinnerFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [high resolution images available upon request] Attorney Phil Schworer Crowned New Champ CINCINNATI, OH - Phil Schworer, an attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC, and his Dance Pro Bonita Brockert, literally waltzed past the competition on Saturday, May 23 at the Music Hall Ballroom to take the first place prize in the Cincinnati Arts Association's third-annual Dancing for the Stars. With an audience of nearly 400 in attendance, the event raised $20,000 to benefit CAA's Overture Awards and Academy - the nation's largest locally run high school arts scholarship competition. The Rev. Damon Lynch, III (Pastor, New Prospect Baptist Church) and his dance partner, Desiree Mainous, took second place; and Julie Raleigh (Volunteer Fundraiser / Choreographer - Jr. BenGals) and her dance partner, Jeremy Mainous, placed third. The remaining dance pairs included Christina Bolden (Professional Dance Instructor / Choreographer) and Doug Reynolds, Jean Robert de Cavel (4-Star Chef and Restaurateur) and Doreen Beatrice, and Yvonne Robertson (Community Volunteer) and J.C. Bryant. Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars featured six Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area's finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience vote propelled the winners to victory. The competitive dance for the evening was the Waltz, and each dance pair had 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges. Event emcees were Janeen Coyle ("Married With Microphones," 103.5 WGRR-FM) and Rockin' Ron Schumacher (on air personality, 103.5 WGRR-FM). The three judges included Eleanor Lachman, Chris O'Brien, and Veronica Rocco-Homme The Dancing for the Stars committee included: 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. In addition, Dancing for the Stars featured: Silent auction The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra Popular ballroom DJ Tony Rimkus Pre-event VIP Patron reception Dance lessons after the competition Open dancing before and after the competition Catering by Jeff Thomas Cash bar Event highlights include: The winners were announced by Dancing for the Stars 2009 champ, Jenell Walton, WCPO-TV9 weekend anchor. At the end of Julie Raleigh's dance, she removed her Bengal's-orange-and-black ballroom dress to reveal her BenGal uniform, then her Jr. Bengals joined Julie and her dance parter Jeremy on the dance floor, and they all did a cheer for the audience and judges in support of her dance routine. The winning dance couple, Phil Schworer and Bonita Brockert, started their dance as secret agents, accompanied by "The James Bond Theme." Jean-Robert de Cavel was an audience favorite, and he incorporated a Cinderella theme into his dance. He started the routine by trying to fit the glass slipper onto a series of women's feet until his Dance Pro, Doreen Beatrice, entered the dance floor dressed as Cinderella at the Ball. A showcase dance by 2009 Overture Award winner in dance, Hannah Aicholtz, wowed the audience. Judge Chris O'Brian ("Married With Microphones," WGRR-FM) did a fun impersonation of Bruno Tonioli from the hit TV show, Dancing with the Stars. Emcees Janeen Coyle ("Married With Microphones," 103.5 WGRR-FM) and Rockin' Ron Schumacher (on air personality, 103.5 WGRR-FM) kept the crowed entertained between the stars' dance routines. 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 Overture Academy, scheduled annually each Fall. Now in its 13th year, 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 Aronoff Center 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. # # # |