Animal Friends of Westmoreland celebrity dance contest takes to virtual stage
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From finding contestants to arranging a date and location, a lot of time and effort goes into planning Dancing With the Celebrities, a signature annual fundraiser for The Animal Friends of Westmoreland.
After being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, the dance event will be virtual this year, airing on-demand on the ShowTix4U platform at 6 p.m. July 28.
Organizers hope it will be the last time they’ll have to host an event online, said Kelli Brisbane, Animal Friends executive director and coordinator of the event.
“We made the decision to go virtual in March,” she said. “At that time, we made the right decision. But then everything started to clear up.
“Due to scheduling conflicts with the celebrities, we were, unfortunately, unable to shift to an in-person event at The Palace Theatre,” she said. “We had to keep the wheels where they were and stay on the same road.”
For past competitions, celebrities were paired with professional dancers. Because of CDC guidelines in place in March, this year’s participants had the option of pairing with a professional or another celebrity partner they were comfortable coming in close contact with.
They could create their own routines or work remotely with a choreographer.
The nine featured pairs have been rehearsing for the last few months, Brisbane said. Their routines will be prerecorded and compiled for the July 28 stream.
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Since they aren’t confined to the stage at The Palace, Brisbane said, the dancers have had more freedom to exercise their creativity.
“For example, (radio host) Lora Kay and her partner dressed in dog and cat costumes and recorded their video in an alley,” she said.
Stage presence and technique
Judges will preview all submitted dance videos during a Zoom viewing party before the air date, and their award will be announced during the stream, hosted by Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani.
The Judges Award, determined by a 10-point scale, will be based on entertainment value, stage presence, technique, creativity and other factors.
Viewers also will be able to vote for the People’s Choice award until midnight July 28, Brisbane said. The winning couple will be announced the following day on Facebook Live.
Local celebrity dance pairs include:
• Singer Aubrey Burchell, an “American Idol” veteran, and musician Noah Myers
• Jim Bosco, owner of Major Stokes, and Heather Cordial, chief of staff for Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew
• Jordan Hauser, owner of Greensburg Video and host of The Local 724 podcast, and Jessi Hauser, human resources director for Bridges Hospice
• Adam DeFlorio, owner of Moxie Events, and Jessica Hickey, Downtown Greensburg Project founder/director
• Lora Kay, WHJB morning show host and account executive, and Kevin Zilli, assistant general manager of Springhill Suites Marriott
• Ashlea Lee, Westmoreland County Community College coordinator of admissions, and Evan Roncace, University of Pittsburgh student
• Danny Ebeling, Indiana University of Pennsylvania student, and Barbara Rolla, Center for Dental Implants manager
• Alyssa Bruno Walls, Leechburg Area School District musical director, and Jesse Walls, PNC Bank junior software developer
• Jackie Sobel, owner of Sobel’s Obscure Brewery, and Aubrey Worek-DeStephen, wellness expert and owner of FitnessEnvi.
Judges will be Westmoreland County natives who have gone on to careers in arts and entertainment:
• Amy Jo Slater, who performs an Adele tribute show on cruise ships
• Amy Orlandi Cannon, award-winning fine art photographer and live show writer
• Ryan Stana, founder and CEO of Emmy Award-winning RWS Entertainment Group.
On-demand viewing tickets are $20 per streaming device and can be purchased on the AFW Facebook event page, and at animalfriendswestmoreland.org and dwtc21.givesmart.com.
During the event, People’s Choice votes can be cast by texting dwtc21 to 76278.
Supporters also will be able to purchase 50-50 and other raffle tickets, with winners to be announced during the stream.
Proceeds from the event benefit operation of the Youngwood-based shelter and adoption center, which also maintains a large-animal sanctuary in Unity.