Salmon Arm’s own version of Dancing With the Stars is in the works.
This inaugural event will be presented jointly by City Dance Okanagan, Larch Hills Nordic Society and the Salmon Arm Dance Club.
As well as being an event to raise awareness about the culture of dance, City Dance and the local dance club, Dancing With the Stars has a higher purpose.
Higher in altitude that is, and the decision members of the Larch Hills Nordic Society (LHNS) to expand the chalet.
The event, to take place in November, will be a major fundraiser, with 95 per cent of the proceeds going to the Nordic society and five per cent to the Salmon Arm Dance Club.
“In January, LHNS members voted unanimously in favour of expanding the existing chalet to 4,000 square feet,” says Suzy Beckner. “Funding for this expansion will include donations, money raised through fundraising events and grants.”
The show will feature entertainment by City Dance and possibly other dance studios, as well the main event, which will be a competition in two separate divisions.
In the Amateur Division, five or six local couples will be trained by professional dance instructors.
In the Pro-Am Division, an equal number of solo competitors will be paired with professional dance instructors.
Two trophies will be awarded in each division to two runners-up and two division champions. Competitors will perform routines choreographed and taught by their instructors.
Competitors will be responsible for selling votes at $5 each in the weeks leading up to the competition. The pre-purchased votes along with the votes cast by the judges and the audience will combine to produce the overall winners of Dancing with the Shuswap Stars 2016.
On the evening of the event, audience members will be given a vote as they enter the show and they will cast their votes following the performances. There will also be additional votes to purchase that evening to ensure that their favourites win.
During the break and following the competition, audience members will be encouraged to dance to the music of a live band.
Sponsorship is critical to the success of the event and is available in three levels: Gold $1,000; Silver $500 and Bronze $250.
For more information or to sponsor the event, send an email to sjtayler@yahoo.com or call 250 253-1089.
