Fallon Dancing With the Stars This Saturday

A History of Dancing With the Stars, by Cherilee Sorensen and submitted by the DWTS organization-- Fallon's DWTS event will be held Saturday night, March 16th at the CCHS gym at 7:00 p.m. and will feature ten local "celebrities" and their Fallon Swing Dance partners. “The biggest dance party on the planet” is how ABC describes their television series “Dancing With the Stars” which has been airing since 2005.  That was the same year Debbie Edwards began teaching swing dance here in Fallon, and three years later our own “Dancing With the Stars – Fallon” began. When Debbie Edwards and her family moved to Fallon and her daughters began High School, she wanted to provide the opportunity for them to be a part of a top-notch ballroom program; so she began the Competition and Performance dance teams. It was her dream for these dancers to be ambassadors to the community--and even outside of Fallon and Nevada—and to share their love and knowledge of ballroom dance with others.  When the opportunity arose for the teams to go to Hawaii and perform there, as well as teach workshops in several of the schools on Oahu, she knew she needed a way to come up with a really good fundraiser to make it possible.  Debbie recalls brainstorming in the CCHS office with Terri Pearson and Cheryl Venturacci. Somehow in that conversation the idea of Fallon’s own version of “Dancing With the Stars” (DWTS) was born. She talked with Coach Mitch Overlie who was involved in putting on the successful fundraiser for the wrestling team called “Night of Fights.”  He gave her some great ideas, and she went to work making it happen. 2008 was the first annual DWTS –Fallon.  The basic set-up is one they’ve continued to follow.  They invite ten local “celebrities” from among our coaches, teachers, business men and women, elected officials, military officers, and respected members of the community which they pair up with ten “professionals” from the dance teams.  These pairs learn a short routine within a few months which they must perform the night of the competition. They try to choose from several different businesses to help with the advertising and to draw a variety people for their audience. Every year they also have a “celebrity couple” competing against each other (one year it was a brother vs. a sister). Besides the dancing celebrities, DWTS also showcases the Fallon Swing Kids.  Each of the local teams presents a dance for the audience to enjoy between the celebrity numbers.  It’s a chance for the community to see what this whole program is all about--our kids! We also enjoy showcase numbers from The Fallon City Ballet from The Studio for The Performing Arts. Those who are able to attend the yearly competition can purchase basic admission tickets or seats at courtside tables.  These “VIP tickets” include either hors d’oevres or dinner.  Concessions and raffle basket tickets are also available to everyone who attends. That first year someone condescendingly told Debbie that her DWTS would never be as big as “Night of Fights.”  When they packed the gym that night, she proved them wrong!  Each year the event continues to sell out to very supportive and enthusiastic fans. DWTS – Fallon has featured many memorable celebrities.  First year attendees enjoyed watching Mayor Ken Tedford dance as well as JPO Motulalo Otuafi, Capt. Glaser from the Naval Base, and the first celebrity couple Lissa and Mitch Overlie. The competitive couple kept their routines strictly secret from each other, but in the end Mitch proved to his wife that he’s still got the moves by claiming first place. Lissa returned the next year as an MC and has continued most of the years since.  Other memorable celebrities include Sheriff Ingram and Commander Luther Hook – NAS Fallon (2^nd Annual), Rear Admiral Fox – NAS Fallon (3^rd Annual), Lynne Heller – wife of Congressman Heller (4^th), and Josh Mauga of the NY Jets performing “King of New York” (5^th year). This year will mark the 9^th annual DWTS. Other contestants in DWTS-Fallon include a variety of judges, local dance instructors Jef Horne and Lisa Sloan, drama teacher Glen Perazzo, as well as ballroom instructors Jeffrey Lynn from Reno and Sherri Rallison (Debbie’s sister) from Preston, Idaho. We have even had a dance team as far away as Idaho come to participate in our exciting event.  Debbie’s last year presenting DWTS before she moved away was in 2012. She has attended every year since either to observe or to serve as a judge. The first year featured four dance teams: the Competition, Performance, Juniorz and Kidz teams.  Other teams have joined the program as excitement has steadily grown through the years. The Starz (2012) and PeeWeez (2013) teams were added to the swing program bringing the total to six teams of dancers for Fallon Swing Kids! There have been a few recent changes to the Fallon Swing Kids organization: the original CCHS Competition Team has been split into two teams—namely, The Oasis Academy Competition Ballroom Team and The Studio Competition Ballroom Team; the Performance Team was dissolved, and in its place CCHS has formed a swing dance club called Churchill County Ballroom Dancers.  The Juniorz, Kidz, Starz, and PeeWeez teams remain the same. While the Fallon Swing Kids teams have done many fundraisers, DWTS has continued to be the biggest fundraiser every year.  The money raised has sustained the dance program and has made it possible to realize Debbie’s dream.  Fallon Swing Kids dancers have won National titles,  have performed in Disneyland, and have been ambassadors to schools and youth organizations in California, Idaho, Hawaii and Nevada. Everywhere they go, they share their love for ballroom dance and touch others’ hearts with their dedication and excitement to be a part of something great!  Come join us this year for “the biggest dance party in Fallon,” Saturday March 16th, 2016, at 7pm in the CCHS Gym. Purchase your tickets at Jeff’s Copy Express, or at the CCHS Main office. Don’t miss it.