Front (L-R): Vickie Skutans, Bonny Young, Kristin Baum, Nan Strader
Back: Dr. Steve Cummings, Sinan Aritamur, Jeremy L. Findlay, Bridgit Charlton
Cha-cha, waltz or foxtrot over to the fifth annual Dancing with the Williamsburg Stars.
The event starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at Phi Beta Kappa Hall on the campus of the College of William & Mary.
Just like the popular television series, the competition pairs contestants with professional dancers and pits them against each other to crown a champion. The participating community members train in the months before the competition in front of a live audience and panel of judges. The local Stars will perform traditional couples’ ballroom and group numbers.
This year’s Stars are:
- Sinan Aritamur, Belk
- Kristin Baum, Guernsey Tingle Architects
- Juan Carillo, Juan’s Cantina & LaTolteca
- Bridgit Charlton, B-Defined
- Dr. Steve Cummings, Sentara Urgent Care
- Jeremy L. Findlay, J. Lloyd Builder, Inc.
- Cecilia Firstenberg, Firstenberg Consulting, LLC
- Bob Pinto, Pinto Chiropractic
- Brian Skinner, TowneBank
- Vickie Skutans, Capital Carpet
- Nan Strader, Virginia Ventures
- Bonny Young, Local Voice Media, parent company of Tide Radio and WYDaily
Professional dancers are from 7 Cities Ballroom and Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex (Williamsburg), ArtInspired Studios and Country Bootleggers (Yorktown), and A Step Above in Virginia Beach and Amy’s Dance Studio (Newport News).
In addition to a dancing champion, the 2014 Fan Favorite will be crowned Saturday. Visitors to the Dancing with the Williamsburg Stars website can vote for their pick until noon on the day of the event. Every dollar donated accounts for one vote, and the winner will receive a special award.
Dancing with the Williamsburg Stars benefits both Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Virginia Peninsula and Literacy for Life at the Rita Welsh Adult Learning Center. Last year’s event raised nearly $90,000 for the charities.
Tickets start at $35 for balcony or floor seats, with $65 for priority seating. A VIP package is also available, which offers the chance to mingle with the Stars before the show, premier seating for the show, unlimited drinks during intermission and cocktail reception afterward at the Andrews Gallery.
Purchase tickets at the Phi Beta Kappa box office on Jamestown Road, by phone at 757-221-2674 or online.
Dancing with the Williamsburg Stars is sponsored by Middle Peninsula Insurance and Financial Services, TowneBank and Iron-Bound Gym.
