Dancing with the Stars Gets Schooled introduces Childers, Trenti as next couple to take the stage
* Editor’s Note: The Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars stories are contributed to the Calhoun Times each week by the Dancing with the Stars program. The DWTS Program receives the information for these stories from the student dancers.
Mohawk Presents Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars GETS SCHOOLED is gearing up for its debut as GEM Theatre and United Way of Gordon County administrators—leaders of 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.
Ticket sales began Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. at the GEM box office and fans were already lining up that morning at 9 a.m. to grab their tickets. On-line sales began at 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 20. A very limited number of tickets remain available for the finale and a sell-out is expected. Sponsors are still coming forward to support the nine teams and all eighteen dancers are busy naming their tunes and planning their moves as they get ready to put on the show of the year.
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 GETS SCHOOLED opens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13, 2017.
“I have really enjoyed getting to know these students through this event. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” said Ashley Goble, member of the planning committee and Director of Communications & Community Involvement for United Way of Gordon County. “I have such a fun time when I am with the students, so I hope they look at DWTS GETS SCHOOLED as a fun event and not just something else they have to do during their week. I appreciate each of them taking the time out of their schedules to support United Way of Gordon County and the GEM Theatre!”
“The GEM Theatre is truly excited for this year’s show. The students are all working hard and the group number is looking great. This year’s show is what the mission of the GEM is all about, encouraging involvement in the arts and creating a love for performance,” said Kim Brazell, GEM Theatre Manager. “These students are making history as the first student dancers in our six years. The audience will not only be entertained, but they will be thrilled to see the amazing talent that Calhoun/ Gordon County has to offer.”
Allie Childers and Jose’ Trenti will be the sixth team to hit the dance floor. Both of these very active students are juniors at Sonoraville High School. Childers is the daughter of Brian and Erin Childers. Trenti is the son of Jose’ and Maria Trenti.
An active and accomplished student, Allie is co-captain of the majorette team, vice-president of FCCLA, a member of the Beta Club and the symphonic band. She and her family attend Meadowdale Baptist Church, where she is involved with Crossroads youth ministry.
She is a very successful student and was ranked in the top five of her class for the last school year. She was the Class of 2018’s second honoree for the Distinguished Young Women of Gordon County. Allie has not made a final decision about the college she will attend, but plans to study Occupational Therapy.
Allie has studied dance for thirteen years and is a member of City Ballet’s senior company. She has been twirling for twelve years and jokes that she spends a great deal of time holding a baton. She is one of the most trained dancers competing in the event and her skills are expected to add to the overall success of the fundraiser.
Jose’ Trenti, also a junior at Sonoraville High School, is a member of the Beta Club, the Future Business Leaders of America, the Key Club, and the Interact Club. He plays the trumpet and performs with the Sonoraville High School marching and concert bands.
He has no dance training but is hoping that Allie’s years of study will be helpful to him. He has performed in two school shows—Footloose and The Adams Family. Trenti particularly enjoyed all the screaming he did for The Adams Family and the stress relief it provided. Jose is a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, where he is active with the LifeTeen Program. He received the 2012 Leadership Awards.
The other sixteen dancers, listed alphabetically, include Matt Adcock, Garrison Baumgardner, Elizabeth Dutch, Kirsten Gordon, Sarah Green, Kelsey Hall, Logan Hannah, Natalie Mathis, Zeke Nance, Ryan Morrell, Julia Palazzolo, Madison Reyes, Chandler Smith, Kathrynn Stockman, Joseph Taylor, 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.