Mathis, Baumgardner set to take stage in Calhoun’s Dancing with the Stars
*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.
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.
Natalie Mathis and Garrison Baumgardner are the eighth team on the dance roster. Both attend Sonoraville High School, where Natalie is a senior and Garrison is a junior. Natalie is the only child of Roger and Tammye Mathis. Garrison is the son of Dara Floyd and Justin Baumgardner. He lives with his uncle and aunt, Jeff and Angie Dodd.
Natalie is a successful student, currently showing a 3.9 grade point average and ranked sixth in her class of 223 students. She is a UGA Merit Scholar, has been a Beta Club member for three years, is in the Spanish Honor Society, Thespian Troupe 7786 and the National Society of High School Scholars. She received the Sonoraville High School 212° Award.
Named a Distinguished Young Woman, she represents Gordon County for the National Scholarship Program, promoting literacy and education while encouraging academic, service, talent and leadership excellence. She was involved in the program’s state competition. She has received Presidential Service Awards all four years of her high school career and has completed more than 700 hours of community service.
One of the most accomplished dancers competing, Natalie has trained for 13 years—since she was only four. She has studied Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Pointe, and Musical Theatre. She is a member of City Ballet’s senior company, serving as company captain. Natalie received a Kennesaw State University School of Dance scholarship and was a region finalist in the Governor’s Honors Program.
Natalie will partner with Garrison Baumgardner, a talented student and accomplished athlete. Garrison is on both the football and track teams and is a former officer and current member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Garrison is an excellent student, currently ranked in the top five of his class. He is a member of the Beta Club, the Key Club, and the Thespian Honor Society. He received the Sonoraville High School 212° Award for Focus. Garrison also is involved in several community service programs. He has served as a mentor in the Big PhoenixLittle Phoenix program and has contributed his time and effort at the Voluntary Action Center.
As a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, he is a five-time region and three-time state competition winner. Last year, his team placed first in the region and advanced to the state level, where they took ninth place in Global Business. In 2015, he and his team placed first in the region and advanced to the state level, where they took sixth place in Marketing.
Although he has no formal dance training, he has a natural stage presence and appeared in two school productions: Oklahoma and Footloose. He jokes about being scared to show up for dance practices with Natalie because he hasn’t learned his assigned moves, but during the rehearsals, he is clearly focused on the choreography and has no trouble keeping up with the group.
The other sixteen dancers, listed alphabetically, include Matt Adcock, Allie Childers, Elizabeth Dutch, Kirsten Gordon, Sarah Green, Kelsey Hall, Logan Hannah, Zeke Nance, Ryan Morrell, Julia Palazzolo, Madison Reyes, Chandler Smith, Kathrynn Stockman, Joseph Taylor, Jose Trenti, and Kade Wright.
“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. 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.