Dancing for the Stars Benefit Held At Music Hall Ballroom

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 9, 2011 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) presents its fifth 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, 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 Foxtrot, 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
· Showcase performance by a 2011 Overture Award finalist in dance
· Showcase dance by select stars from past Dancing for the Stars events (2007-2010)
· The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra
· Popular ballroom DJ Tony Rimkus
· Pre-event VIP Patron reception and wine tasting
· Open dancing before and after the competition
· Lite Bites provided by some of Cincinnati's finest restaurants and caterers
· 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: Phil Schworer (chair, Dancing for the Stars 2009 winner), Christina Bolden, Terry Foster, Sue Gilkey, Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, Rosemary Schlachter, and Jane Mary Tenhover.

Tickets are currently on sale at the following levels (a portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible):
$ 60 - 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 and white program ad)
$1,250 - Celebrity Circle Table (premium, "first-row" viewing of competition area, ten Patron level tickets, full page black and white program ad, recognition on event signage)

RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION:
(513) 977-4104
Aronoff Center Ticket Office
www.CincinnatiArts.ORG

THE STARS AND THE PROS:

Richard Boehne (president & CEO, The E.W. Scripps Company) & Doreen Beatrice (Step-n-Out Studio)
Patty Brisben (CEO & founder, Pure Romance & The Patty Brisben Foundation) & Douglas Beal (independent dance professional)
Carri Chandler (external affairs specialist, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.) & Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio - Cincinnati)
Sue Gilkey (community volunteer, ballroom dance enthusiast) & Doug Reynolds (Step-n-Out Studio)
Andy Holzhauser (founder, Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance) & Mandy Franceschina (Dare To Dance Studio)
Sean Parker (manager, Ohio government & community relations, The Procter & Gamble Company) & Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company)
Tracey Skale (chief medical officer, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services) & Patrick Clements (Dare To Dance Studio)
Mike Wong (restaurateur, Oriental Wok Restaurants) & Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio - Cincinnati)

THE HOSTS: Chris O'Brien & Janeen Coyle ("Married With Microphones," 103.5 WGRR-FM morning team)

THE JUDGES: TO BE ANNOUNCED

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 15th 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.

 

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!