Dancing with South Sound’s Stars – A Night of Shimmies and Surprises to Support The Washington Center for the Performing Arts

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By Nikki McCoy

south sound stars
Will Deborah Vinsel, CEO of TCTV, have an advantage with her years of youth dance lessons in the upcoming Dancing with South Sound’s Stars competition?  Photo courtesy: Dinea de Photo.

Six local celebrities. A panel of judges. One week to learn.

This is “Dancing with South Sound’s Stars,” a night of entertainment, celebration and breath-taking moves – all on stage Saturday, May 16 at The Washington Center for Performing Arts in downtown Olympia.

“These six dancers were selected from a large pool of enthusiastic supporters; people that work hard to make Thurston County a great place to live and work, and who believe in having a good time up on stage,” says Anne Larsen, director of marketing and special events for The Center.

“We are already seeing the friendly competition heat up:  who will have the most fans in the audience?  Who will have the best costume?  They are all having a lot of fun leading up to a week of rehearsals with the professional dancers,” continues Larsen. “And the audience will have ballots to help determine the winner, along with our local celebrity judges.”

Deborah Vinsel, CEO of Thurston Community Television (TCTV) is one of those six competitors.

“I love it when we see a side of community leaders we’ve never seen before,” she says. “These kinds of events show we’re all human, we all have a sense of humor, and we all love to do something that brings us together.”

While Vinsel has never been in a competition of this kind, dance has been a big part of her life. She received formal training in ballet and tap dance from the time she was three until her early 20s. Her mother insisted that Vinsel and her brother take ballroom dancing in middle school. In fact, she met her husband for the first time when she was 13 at Mrs. Lynn’s Social Dancing classes.

“I don’t think many people know that I’ve got a background in dance and theater so this will show a side of me not many people in Olympia have seen,” she says. “Plus, it just looked like it was going to be a lot of fun.”

However, Vinsel says, she is “many years older now” so she doesn’t expect to sail through the rehearsals.

dancing south sounds stars
Or will competitors like Renee Sunde, deputy director of Thurston Economic Development Council, who have only danced at proms and weddings, have beginner’s luck?

“It will be a challenge to re-awaken the technique and muscle memory,” she says.

If Vinsel has the challenge of tapping into old skills, another competitor, Renee Sunde, deputy director for Thurston Economic Development Council, has the challenge of trying something completely new.

“When first asked if I would be willing to compete, I ran it by my colleagues at the Thurston EDC,” says Sunde. “They unanimously encouraged me to go for it… what could be more fun than getting up on a stage and dancing with professionally trained dancers in front of a community filled with friends? But, I’ve never really danced before (unless the prom and weddings count) so the professionals will definitely have their work cut out for them.”

The dancers each pair with a member of the Utah Ballroom Dance Company, who specializes in bringing “Dancing with the Stars” to communities across the United States.

This is the Washington Center’s first time presenting the company, or this type of competition, and Larsen says they are very excited.

“Selecting the six local dancers was just the start. We have a week of rehearsals to look forward to,” she explains.  “After the local dancers pair off with their partners, the professionals will put on a show for the audience as well! We will present disco ball trophies to our winners, of course.”

While bragging rights and a sweet disco ball trophy are highlights of the win, both Vinsel and Sunde (probably speaking for the others as well) acknowledge that participating in this event is a great way to give back.

“The biggest motivator for me personally is the fact that the proceeds from the event go to support The Washington Center for Performing Arts, which is one of our greatest community assets,” says Sunde.   “When you talk about the arts culture of Olympia you are really talking about an economic generator. Through ticket sales, the support of local businesses through sponsorships and donations, grants, public and individual giving, we are able to promote and sustain this great community and economic development asset.”

dancing with south sound's starsThe evening will conclude with a community dance lesson onstage from the Powers Ballroom Studio.  Rhett and Shona Powers will lead lessons in “Party Swing” and “Classic Waltz” and all levels of dance ability are welcome to join the fun.

The other four competitors include Greg Allison, music instructor with the Olympia School District, Thane Bryenton, owner of RelyLocal Olympia, Casey Cochrane, Executive Director of the Yelm Chamber of Commerce and Becci Syrek, Partnership Development Director with the Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor & Convention Center.

Purchase tickets to the May 16 event here. Visit the Dancing with South Sound’s Stars Facebook page for sneak peeks and updates.

 

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