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September 2024
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
Page 3
Community
By DoNNa RhoDes
BRISTOL – Dancing Under the Stars in Bristol’s Kelley Park last Thursday was one for the history books when the Voices Against Violence annual fund- raiser collected a record amount of donations. The success was all thanks to six dedicated pairs of local dancers and the surround- ing communities that came out in support of the nonprofit organi- zation.
Leading off the evening were dancers Dawna Shackley and Paul Fleming. Neighbors from Hebron, the two Bristol business owners took on the brave task of not having a professional dancer for a partner, as is typically done for the competition; instead, they turned to YouTube videos to do their own choreography. Their country dance to the Tay- lor Hubbard song “Back Then, Right Now” got everyone excited for what the pair showed to be an evening filled with local talent and great entertainment.
“Unbelievable! You were on fire,” raved Judge Danaee Dal- phonse.
Judge David Suckling said he was “blown away” by their per- formance and that they showed commitment to the cause.
Next up was the father-daugh- ter team of Kevin MacCaffrie and Kelly Salvati. Kelly grew up dancing and agreed to partner with her dad, a Call Firefighter for the Bristol Fire Department. Their dance had some chal- lenges, however, as Kelly lives in Massachusetts but they over- came that obstacle through the internet. They each selected
Dancing Under The Stars
Dancers participating in this year's “Dancing Under the Stars” competition posed for a group photo after raising a record $12,690 for Voices Against Violence. Photo by Donna Rhodes
portions of the dance to choreo- graph, practiced together online and came up with a routine that wowed the judges as well. “Better When I’m Dancing” was their tune and, dressed in pink Hawai- ian outfits, they had a “summer vibe” that was impressive as well.
Judge Barbara McNeil’s com- ment was filled with praise.
“You were on fire the whole time! I was ready to get up there and dance with you guys,” she said.
Alexandria/Danbury Police Departments’ Administrative Assistant Becky Huntoon said she was “volun-told” to take part in Dancing Under the Stars after Alexandria Police Chief Suck- ling brought home a trophy last year. Initially, She was hesitant,
but after being paired up with Jeff Brode of Synergy Dance in Ashland, she learned to relax and enjoy the experience. The two brought some fun to the stage last week when they dressed up as Trolls in costumes Becky made herself and gave a performance that made her chief proud.
“You’ve overcome amaz- ing hurdles to do this,” he said. “It was a huge step out of your comfort zone, and you absolutely ruled it!”
Local Line Dance leader Charlene Dellascio of Groton had Bristol resident Nancy Reiff as her partner for this year’s event. Charlene leads line danc- ing events locally each week and was pleased that Nancy, a regu- lar at her dance nights, agreed to
join her for the fundraiser. Their extra lively steps to a medley of “Jailhouse Rock,” “My Maria,” and “Footloose” brought a big round of applause from the au- dience that filled Kelley Park that night. Judge Barbara McNeil said it inspired her to want to try line dancing, while other judges loved the crowd clapping along to the music. One even confessed that the two were so good he couldn’t tell which was the pro dancer and which was the “starter.”
Fifth out on the floor that night was Catie Roman and Courtney Buch. Catie, a kin- dergarten teacher at Bridgewa- ter-Hebron School, has been dancing for many years, while Courtney works at Chic Bou- tique and Salon in Plymouth.
Dressed in black sequin Flapper costumes, the pair amazed the crowd with their ragtime jazz music and choreography. Judge Richard Drenkhahn, Jr. likened it to watching a scene from “The Great Gatsby.” Still others raved over their energy and authentic- ity, describing their performance to the song “All That Jazz” as “outstanding.”
Last up for a night of equally outstanding performances were professional dancer Samantha Brode of Synergy Dance School and her partner- Santa Claus. Dressed as an elf, she and Santa, who later confessed to being Carl DeLucca who was standing in for Santa, stepped lively to the Bruce
STARS
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