The Fine Arts Center (FAC) of Kershaw County is gearing up for its first ever fundraising performance of Dancing with the Stars. Several community members and professional dancers have volunteered their time to dance at this event.
The event is modeled after the ABC television show and every "star" is paired with a professional dancer. They will compete on September 28 before a live audience for both the People’s Choice Award and the Technical Winner’s Award.
According to FAC Volunteer Coordinator Margaret Bishop, "We have everyone from a school principal to bankers to a Sonic franchise owner to a retired veterinarian!" There is quite a variety of contestants.
"We really wanted to get a wide range of people from the community," Bishop said. "And we are really appreciative to everyone who donated their time."
Burnadene Kelley-Newman, owner and director of Kelley’s Fine Arts (KFA), is producing the show. "She has coordinated this type of show in other counties and it has been very successful," Bishop said.
Alexis Kelley is a dance teacher at KFA and is also one of the professional dancers performing in the event. She said, of the event, "It will be quite a show. I look forward to seeing the audience member’s faces as they see their friends and family members on stage dancing like pros." Kelley, a junior at the University of South Carolina (USC), is an education major and music minor and has been performing since she was 2 years old.
"I love choreography," she said, "And I was so excited to be a part of this. My partner, Robert Greenlaw, has been great. He’s been willing to do lots of lifts." Kelley said that she and Greenlaw want to win both the People’s Choice and Technical Winner’s awards.
The event will be preceded by a cocktail hour beginning at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by phone at 425-7676 or online at www.fineartscenter.org.
Director of Marketing for the FAC Jane Peterson explained, "The teams compete for votes and each vote is worth $1. The price that each audience member pays for a ticket supports the team of your choice. When you check out online you can choose which team to support."
Peterson added that even if someone didn’t want to purchase a ticket, he or she can still go online and vote for a preferred team. Also, the biographies of the dancers and the stars are available in more detail online.
The teams are listed below, with star listed first and then dancer:
•Karen Eckford, senior vice president of the National Bank of South Carolina in Camden, and Cam Melton, dancer for Disney Dream Luxury Cruise Ships,
•Heather Matthews, director of NP Strategy and former WIS-TV senior reporter, and Tracy Steele, professional instructor with Columbia’s Ballroom Company
•Bruce Little, executive director of the Kershaw County Council on Aging, and Sallie Pierce, formerly of USC’s Carolina Girls Dance Team
•Roy Fakoury, financial advisor for Wells Fargo Advisors Network LLC, and Kayla Goebelbecker, former student of the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City,
•Dr. Bobby Joseph, a dentist in Camden, and Deanna Patterson Cobb, owner and artistic director of the Patterson School of Dance in Lugoff,
•Robert Greenlaw, senior logistics group leader with Target Corporation, and Alexis Kelley, director of the Camden location of KFA Dance Studios at the FAC,
•Kevin Wilburn, managing partner of the Lugoff Sonic drive-in, and Brea Boatwright, dance instructor for KFA in Turbeville and Lake City,
•Van Kornegay, co-owner of Kornegay Funeral Home, and Erin Haynes, assistant KFA at the FAC,
•JoJo Denton, retired Camden veterinarian, and Jesse Bowers, instructor at Dance Extraordinaire, and
•Byron Johnson, principal of Camden Middle School, and Rebecca Kelley, member of the KFA Dance Company.
Wilburn of Lugoff Sonic drive-in, strongly encourages all community members to attend the show. "If you want to have a good time," he said, "here’s your chance."
Wilburn, who hasn’t danced in 29 years, but has been working very hard at it. He says, "I’m learning to put things together," and he feels pretty confident that audience members will see he and his partner win the competition. "There’s no question," he said. "We’re definitely going to win!"
Dancing with the Stars at the FAC is sponsored by McDonald’s and will be catered by Catery on Broad. The FAC is located at 810 Lyttleton St., in Camden.
