Local celebrities prepare to show off dancing skills
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 11, 2015 1:50 AM
Sixteen stars will take to the stage at the Paramount Theatre on Friday night for the fifth annual Dancing Stars of Wayne County event.
The competition -- not only to perfect dance steps but to raise money for education -- is reaching a fever pitch, said Lara Landers, director of marketing and events at the sponsoring Wayne County Chamber of Commerce.
The fundraiser operates under the umbrella of the Chamber's Wayne Education Network, or WEN, and Wayne Charitable Partnership.
For more than a decade, WEN events have generated support for public, private and home-school teachers and classroom projects. To date, $123,000 in mini grants have been awarded to teachers, with $30,725 in stipends for teacher assistants returning to school to become teachers.
Last year's Dancing Stars event brought in $64,000, organizers said.
Tickets are currently on sale at the Chamber office on William Street for Friday's event. They are being sold for $75 each, which includes hors d'oeuvres, a seat at the show and five votes.
Cocktail hour starts at 6:30 p.m. with the show getting underway at 7:30.
"We have a really great lineup this year," Ms. Landers said of the dancers. "They're working hard and getting the tickets sold.
"It's a close race with the stars really getting into competing against each other."
In anticipation of the show, online voting is still going on at the WEN website, www.wayneeducationnetwork.org.
Area dance studios have again partnered with the Chamber, instructing "stars" and providing dance studios to participate in group numbers at the performance.
A new dance studio joined the group this year, Ms. Landers said. Academy of Performing Arts in Rosewood worked with the dancers along with three returning studios -- Artistic Dance, A Step of Class and Goldsboro School of Ballet.
Each participant brings something different to the mix, she added, and a variety of dance styles will be on the program -- from hip hop and jazz to tap.
"It's all very lively," Ms. Landers said. "They have all been working really hard."
But the cause is what she hopes will most generate interest and support, she said.
"Wayne Education Network and what these funds go for, they really support WEN," she said. "It doesn't matter if you have kids or not, you're affected by it because you have grandkids, nieces, nephews, neighbors, kids you go to church with.
"It's just so good to be part of a community that reaches out and touches Wayne County."
This year's lineup of dancers and the studios they are working with include:
Academy of
Performing Arts
* Jennifer Collins, a graduate of Rosewood High School, is assistant planning director with the city of Goldsboro
* Marissa Davis, a corporal with the Goldsboro Police Department Crime Prevention Unit
* Brooke Norris, physician assistant at Goldsboro Skin Center
* Beverly Wallace-Wiggins, assistant vice president and small business specialist at Branch Banking and Trust
Artistic Dance
Academy
* George Anderson, grocery produce assistant manager at Sam's Club, who retired from the Air Force in 2013 after 24 years as a fuels craftsman.
* Dr. Michael Dunsmore, superintendent of Wayne County Public Schools
* Erin Fonseca, graduate of Eastern Wayne High School and promotions coordinator of Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation
* Yvette Smith, assistant superintendent for human resource services with Wayne County Public Schools
A Step of Class
* Gia Democko, an independent consultant with Rodan & Fields
* Josh Price, who attended Southern Wayne High School and is currently senior estimator at Daniels and Daniels Construction Company
* Beth Saylors, who operates a private psychology practice in Kinston
* Matt Steed, graduate of Wayne Country Day School, is assistant vice president at the Little Bank
Goldsboro
School of Ballet
* John Clifton, drama teacher at University of Mount Olive, and his wife, Dr. Tyanna Yonkers, professor of religion at UMO, are the sole husband-and-wife participants in the contest.
* Aaron Jordan, president and owner of Jordan Logistics, a trucking company that services Wilmington and Charlotte
* Dr. Leon Stockton, general surgeon with Wayne Health Surgical Associates.