On Saturday, March 28, 2015, Circle of Hope and the Cornelia Rotary Club partnered together on Habersham County’s first Dancing With the Stars fundraiser. The event raised $64,000. Now Habersham Arts & Entertainment reporter Justin Gallagher was among the 20 contestants who danced to the delight of audiences young and old. Here Justin shares his experience on the quest for the coveted crystal ball.
The Inspiration
When I was first approached by Donna Trotter to do Dancing with the Stars for Hope, I did not know how to answer. My first thought was that I was in no way shape or form a “professional” dancer and I wasn’t sure why they thought I had what it took to pull this off. I had spent time in New York City at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy training for Broadway and taking daily dance classes, but I had no idea how to do the ballroom tricks that you see on the popular DWTS TV show. When I eventually talked to Suzanne Dow, Executive Director of Circle of Hope and one of the event organizers, to get more information on what kinds of dances we could perform, I found out that we did not have to do just ballroom dancing. When Dow mentioned this, my brain went immediately to Musical Theatre Dance.
I met my new friend, Natalie Crawford at the Dancing With the Stars dinner and I immediately knew she had what it took to dance in this show. She had such a wonderful personality and I just knew we would be perfect dance partners. That’s how we became Team 6. How did we choose our routine? Well, I had seen the 2011 Broadway production of Bonnie and Clyde and fell in love with the score. I chose the upbeat song that ends the first Act called “This World Will Remember Us.”
The inspiration for the our dance came from the unusual tempo of the song. It was challenging. Like Bonnie and Clyde in real life, I decided to choreograph the dance as if we were running. We started off with the infamous “T” shape that had us dancing from one part of the stage to the next. I wanted the dance to never be still, something always had to be happening, because Bonnie and Clyde never stayed put. I am proud of Natalie for hanging in there with me, during our crazy rehearsals for this ninety-second routine.
I Could Have Danced All Night
When the big day finally came, all the dance teams gathered at 9 a.m. for a full run through of the show. This was the first time we got to see the other teams dance. We walked through our marks on the stage at Habersham Central High School and had a quick 45 minute rehearsal to make final changes before the the 6 p.m. curtain call.
Initials Inc. provided each performer with a celebrity gift bag. That was a treat! The best part of the entire evening though was knowing we were raising money for two worthwhile causes – Circle of Hope and Rotary. Working with Suzanne Dow and the others really made you feel appreciated and made you want to raise as much as you possibly could to help their organizations.
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Show time!
As a performer I’m used to opening night jitters but not on this night, not on this stage. I felt confident knowing we were dancing for something greater than ourselves.
Habersham Central High School was wonderful in the fact that they provided, lighting and sound as well as our dressing rooms where there was a monitor that displayed what was taking place on stage. Each time a team would come off the stage after their performance, their was applause in the dressing room. We all were so happy to be performing that night and the support from the audience and our fellow dancers made it even more special.
The entire evening was filled with positive energy. It was fun and exciting and an overwhelming success. Thanks to the audience, our friends, family and supporters we raised over $64,000 for Circle of Hope and the Habersham Rotary Club. That’s amazing!
It was a privilege and a pleasure to share the stage with such a giving group of people. The entire Dancing With the Stars team will forever be grateful to those who donated and gave of their time and talents to be part of this special event. Natalie and I were both so proud to have been a part of it that, when the winners were finally announced, it didn’t matter who won the trophy. We all danced away winners.
