Redlands Symphony Gala to have Dancing With the Stars Showcase
After two years of virtual events, the Redlands Symphony Gala is returning as an in-person event this year, with dinner, cocktails, dancing, live and silent auctions and a Dancing With the Stars Showcase.
“Tropicale” is the theme of this year’s event, which begins at 5 p.m. on June 4 at the Orton Center on the University of Redlands campus. The gala raises funds to support the Redlands Symphony Orchestra and its educational programs.
“We are excited to be able to host this year’s gala in person once again, and to celebrate with new and loyal supporters of the RSO,” Candice Cabanilla Stewart, event chairman, said in a news release.
“And almost without missing a beat, the dancers are back. We are excited to welcome back our Dancing With the Stars Showcase featuring six new dancers who are busy learning their routines and practicing their steps for the big night,” Cabanilla Stewart said.
The gala’s Dancing with the Stars Showcase spotlights six local volunteers, each assigned to either the Fox Dance Studio or Arthur Murray Redlands, where they are paired with professional dancers. The volunteers and professionals pick a dance style and music and work on a routine to perform at the gala.
This year’s dancing volunteers are Mary Carruthers, Mary Anne Forrest, Jeff Martinez, Danny O’Connell, Geneil Vines and Tyler Waner.
Leading up to the gala, people can vote for their favorite dancer for $1 per vote, and the dancer who has raised the most money
Marilyn Solter, a member of the Redlands Symphony Gala committee, greets people at a recent concert.
for the Redlands Symphony by the gala wins the mirror ball trophy.
To vote for a dancer, go to redlandssymphony. com/gala .
Tickets for the gala are $125 per person for regular seating and $150 for premier seating next to the dance floor. Tables for 10 are available for $1,250 or $1,500, depending on location.
For tickets and information, go to redlands symphony.com/gala or call 909-587-5565.
About the dancers
•Mary Carruthers helped organize the first Redlands Symphony Gala in 1986 and has served many years as chairman of the event. She also volunteers with the Redlands YMCA Holiday Home Tour, is a member of the Redlands Footlighters and was named Redlands Woman of the Year for 2019.
• Mary Anne Forrest, who has lived in Redlands since 1997, has been taking social dance classes for several years. She is an attorney for the state Court of Appeal in Riverside and has volunteered at Redlands Community Hospital.
• Jeff Martinez has been
director of athletics at the University of Redlands for the past 22 years. He is a member of Rotary and the Redlands Community Hospital board of directors. He was co-chairman of the Special Olympics Redlands Host Town Committee and has been active in several national athletic organizations.
• Danny O’Connell, who has lived in Redlands for 10 years, is a retired railroad superintendent and locomotive engineer. He enjoys golf, boating, hiking, shooting and traveling.
• Geneil Vines and her husband, Terry, have lived in Redlands for 36 years. She is the chief operating officer of Vines Holdings, Vines Storage and Theron’s Marketplace: A Food Hall.
• Tyler Waner grew up in Redlands and returned here after studying economics at the University of Arizona. He is a certified financial planner at Stout Payne Waner and serves on the board of the YMCA of the East Valley and Family Service Association of Redlands. As one of this year’s dancers, he is following in the footsteps of his father, Neal Waner, who was one of the first Redlands Symphony Gala dancers.