Calhoun’s DWTS Gets Schooled gears up for sixth season, introduces Reyes and Smith as first team to hit stage
Mohawk Presents Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars Gets Schooled is gearing up for its sixth season as United Way of Gordon County and GEM Theatre administrators- the target beneficiaries-- prepare to present a dramatic reinvention of Calhoun’s single most popular and successful fundraiser. This year, Dancing with the Stars will get schooled—hence the new name- as high school students will be the ones dancing for dollars in this wildly popular event.
Tickets will go on sale Sunday, March 19 from 2 - 4 p.m. at the GEM box office. Online sales begin at 12: 01 a. m. Monday, March 20. Rapid sell- outs are expected. Sponsors are stepping up to support the nine teams already in place and eighteen contestants are rolling up their sleeves as they choose songs, hire choreographers, order their costumes and get ready to topple the fundraising bar one more time.
The eighteen most important people are the dancers themselves and this year, those nine teams will come together to heat up the stage and tear down the ceiling when Mohawk Presents Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars open at 7: 30 p. m. on Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13, 2017.
Madison Reyes and Chandler Smith will be the first team to hit the stage. Reyes and Smith are both freshman at Gordon Central High School. Madison is the daughter of Ramon and Leigh Reyes and has two brothers: Carlos and Mason. Chandler is the son of Labreeska Harris and Alan Smith. His stepfather is Tim Harris and his stepmother is Carla Smith. Chandler has one sister, Ashton Smith, who is a senior at Gordon Central High School.
A member of the football competition cheerleading team, Madison was a freshman representative on the Homecoming Court during Gordon Central’s 2016 season. She is enrolled in a dance class at her school and while competition and football cheerleading are her favorite extracurricular activities, she also has received many awards and honors. She has been given the Captain’s Award, the Warrior’s Award, and several Coach and Character Awards at school. She also is on the honor roll and merit list.
A self- taught dancer with a penchant for Justin Bieber music and dance- off contests with her cousins, Madison choreographed the routine she and Chandler will perform. They will be dancing to “Light It Up” by Major Lazer. Debbie Mixon, a Gordon County Schools educator who has been involved with Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars since it began, helped refine the choreography.
Classmate Chandler Smith will join Madison on the dance floor. Chandler is a member of the Gordon Central High School Marching Band, and is involved with student theatre. He attends Plainville Church of God of Prophecy, where he is a member of the church drama team.
Chandler has no dance experience but is certain that he will enjoy being part of the Dancing with the Stars show because he loves being the center of attention. He likes to joke around and enjoys spending time with his friends.
The other sixteen dancers, listed alphabetically, include Matthew Adcock, Garrison Baumgardner, Allie Childers, Elizabeth Dutch, Kirsten Gordon, Sarah Green, Kelsey Hall, Logan Hannah, Natalie Mathis, Ryan Morrell, Zeke Nance, Julia Palazzolo, Kathrynn Stockman, Joseph Taylor, Jose Trenti, and Kade Wright. Each team will be featured in a newspaper article beginning in March and leading up to show-time.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be moving toward our sixth anniversary and are hoping to beat last year’s record, as we have done every year,” said Vickie Spence, Executive Director of United Way of Gordon County. “This show has become an absolute financial powerhouse for both United Way and our local GEM Theatre, but it’s also developed into one of those rare community events that gives rise to the best of our virtues: true partnership, civic commitment, hometown loyalty, servant service and unbridled devotion. We’ve got just the right amount of egos and divas to keep things spicy, but ultimately all that spirit gets channeled into the energy of the dances. It’s a really good show, but it’s so much more than a show.”
The mission of United Way of Gordon County is to accurately assess the needs of Gordon County and to mobilize available resources to meet these needs. The mission of the GEM Theatre is to enrich the community by providing a premier facility to be used for viewing, learning and participating in the performing and visual arts, enlist community support to maintain Calhoun’s landmark theatre building, and ensure preservation of the theatre for future generations.
Profits realized from Mohawk Present’s Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars remain in Gordon County. Each student dancer will receive a $ 500 scholarship, and remaining profits are divided equally between GEM Theatre and United Way of Gordon County.