While nine local stars put themselves out of their comfort zone to entertain the public with a variety of unique dance performances Saturday evening, the ultimate star of the second annual Dancing with the Local Stars show left an audience of more than 700 spectators gasping and cheering in a collective of shock and excitement.
That star came in the form of not one single act on stage, but from the collective effort of everyone involved as event co-hosts Mike Walsh and Matt Gilbertson revealed to the crowd that the previous record of $30,048 in funds raised last year for the Education Foundation of Greenville to be used for mental health programs and initiatives had been broken.
So, what is it that makes you agree to do something that is not in your comfort zone and basically scares the bejeezus out of you? Do you have a clue? I don’t.
With each step on stage, with each open turn, free spin, kick ball change and box step, Miranda Haywood-Curry watched in awe as community members put their skills to the test in the inaugural “Dancing with the Local Stars” competition Saturday evening.
With nine local “stars” each paired with a professional dancer, efforts made over weeks of rehearsals were put on full display for what turned out to be a sold-out show at the Greenville Public Schools Performing Arts Center.
If you’ve already read the story in today’s Daily News accompanying this column, then there’s a little secret you’re already privy to — I’m about to leap as far as I ever have out of my comfort zone.
On March 12, the “Dancing with the Local Stars” show will come to Greenville at the Greenville Public Schools Performing Arts Center at Greenville High School, and yes, I will be one of those local “stars” participating.
Halfway through her fifth-grade year, anxiously counting down the days until summer break, Kenadee Ferguson can recall spending many a day waiting for her favorite event of the year — summer camp.
“For me, that was always really important,” said Ferguson, now 18 and a 2021 graduate of Greenville High School. “I would always go with one of my friends and I know how much things like that meant to me when I was younger.”