Dancing for the Stars 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 1, 2010
{please include in all calendar listings}
[high resolution images available upon request]

Dancing for the Stars     

Eight Local Celebs Get Ready to Rhumba to Benefit the Overture Awards and Academy
________________________________________
CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: Dancing for the Stars
             A Benefit for The Overture Awards and Academy
WHEN: Saturday, April 10, 2010
•    6:00 PM – Patron VIP Reception
•    7:00 PM – Dancing, Light Fare, Cash Bar
•    8:00 PM – Celebrity Dance Competition
•    9:30 PM – Dance the Night Away
WHERE: Music Hall Ballroom
PRICES: $50 – Friend • $100 – Patron  • $1,000 – Corporate Table
INFO: Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars will feature eight 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: Helen Carroll (manager of community relations, Toyota), Cathy Crain (president, Cincinnati Opera; community volunteer); Terry Foster (community volunteer; RN, St. Elizabeth Health Care), Tanya O’Rourke (anchor, WCPO-TV9), Sean Rugless (CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce), “Rockin’” Ron Schumacher (on-air personality, 103.5 WGRR-FM), Marvin Smith (owner & chef, Ollie’s Trolly), and Donna Speigel (owner, The Snooty Fox).

RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION:
•    (513)  977-4112
•    Aronoff Center Ticket Office
•    www.CincinnatiArts.ORG
________________________________________

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, April 10, 2010 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) presents its fourth 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 (beginning its tenth season on March 22), Dancing for the Stars will feature eight 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 Latin Rhumba, and each dance pair will have 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.  

In addition, Dancing for the Stars will feature:

•    Silent auction, featuring a variety of dance items… and more!
•    Showcase dance by the 2010 Overture Award winner in dance
•    The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra
•    Popular ballroom DJ Tony Rimkus
•    Pre-event VIP Patron reception
•    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), Dancing for the Stars 2009 winner, Phil Schworer (honorary chair), Valerie Amburgey, Christina Bolden, Jim Howland, 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 two
                drink 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):
•    (513) 977-4112
•    Aronoff Center Ticket Office
•    www.CincinnatiArts.ORG

THE STARS:  Helen Carroll (manager of community relations, Toyota), Cathy Crain (president, Cincinnati Opera; community volunteer); Terry Foster (community volunteer; RN, St. Elizabeth Health Care), Tanya O’Rourke (anchor, WCPO-TV9), Sean Rugless (CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce), “Rockin’” Ron Schumacher (on-air personality, 103.5 WGRR-FM), Marvin Smith (owner & chef, Ollie’s Trolly), and Donna Speigel (owner, The Snooty Fox).

THE PROS (with star pairing):  Douglas Beal (Helen Carroll), Doreen Beatrice (Marvin Smith), Barry Bernard (Cathy Crain), Bonita Brockert (Ron Schumacher), Desiree Mainous (Terry Foster), Jeremy Mainous (Tanya O’Rourke), Mary Ramirez-Cook (Sean Rugless), Doug Reynolds (Donna Speigel)
            
THE JUDGES:  Phil Heimlich, Eleanor Lachman, Veronica Rocco
           
THE HOSTS: Chris O’Brien & Janeen Coyle (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM morning team)

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 14th 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 three-quarters of a million students.