Regina Carswell Russo Crowned New Champ
CINCINNATI, OH – Regina Carswell Russo (Director of Marketing and Communications, Cincinnati Art Museum) and her dance pro Brian McNamee (Cincinnati Ballroom Company) scored a PERFECT 10 from the four judges on Saturday, April 14 at the Music Hall Ballroom, taking first place at the Cincinnati Arts Association’s sixth-annual Dancing for the Stars. With an audience of 750 guests (a new attendance record), the sold-out event raised $70,000 to benefit CAA’s Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition.
Dr. Michael Leadbetter, M.D. (Cosmetic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery Group) and his dance pro Doreen Beatrice (Step-n-Out Studio) took second place; and Moe Rouse (Community Volunteer) and her dance pro Brandon Etheridge (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) placed third.
The remaining five dance pairs included:
- Janeen Coyle (On-Air Personality, WGRR-FM) & Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
- Chief James Craig (Police Chief, Cincinnati Police Department) & Bonita Brockert (Step-n-Out Studio)
- Peter Hiltz (Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC) & Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
- Candace Klein (Attorney, Ulmer & Berne, LLP; CEO, Bad Girls Venture) & J. Patrick Clements
- Joe Rigotti (Creative Director, Accent on Cincinnati; Event Planner) & Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company)
Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars featured eight Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience vote propelled the winners to victory. The competitive dance for the evening was the Cha Cha, and each dance pair had 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.
Event emcees were Chris O’Brien (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM) and Tanya O’Rourke (news anchor, WCPO-TV9), and the four competition judges were Terry Foster (Dancing for the Stars 2010 alum), Sarah Hairston (Cincinnati Ballet), Eleanor Lachman (local ballroom dance pro), and guest celebrity judge, Drew Lachey (winner of ABC-TV’s second season of Dancing with the Stars).
The Dancing for the Stars 2012 committee included: Phil Schworer (chair, Dancing for the Stars 2010, 2011; winner, Dancing for the Stars 2009), Christina Bolden, Terry Foster, Sue Gilkey, Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, Rosemary Schlachter, and Dr. Tracey Skale, M.D (winner, Dancing for the Stars 2011).
In addition, Dancing for the Stars featured:
- Dinner-by-the-bite provided by Chef’s Choice Catering, eat well celebrations and feasts, T.G.I Friday’s Catering, Funky’s Catering, Jeff Thomas Catering, JP Chocolatier, Kroger, Maggiano’s, MPG Events and Catering, Palomino, Skyline, Tano Bistro & Catering, Tres Belles Cakes, and Vonderhaar’s Catering, Inc.
- Silent auction
- The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra
- Popular DJ and 103.5 WGRR personality Rockin’ Ron
- Pre-event star meet-and-greet and wine tasting
- Open dancing before and after the competition
Event highlights included:
- A “Perfect 10” from all four judges for the spot-on Cha Cha by the first-place dance team of Regina Carswell Russo and her dance pro Brian McNamee.
- A record-breaking 17 tables sold in support of second-place finisher, Dr. Michael Leadbetter – his fan-base comprised nearly 20% of the audience.
- A revealing wardrobe malfunction by Janeen Coyle’s dance pro Jeremy Mainous.
- An equally-revealing and sexy Cha Cha by a shirtless Peter Hiltz.
- A la Carmen Miranda, Mo Rouse’s colorful costume featured a headdress of various tropical fruits.
- A smooth and stylish Cha Cha by Police Chief Craig, who was decked out in a cool white fedora.
- Humorous and insightful commentary by the Dancing for the Stars judges – especially from Terry Foster (nurse by day; stand-up comic by night) and guest celebrity judge Drew Lachey (Dancing with the Stars season 2 champ).
- The always outrageous event planner extraordinaire, Joe Rigotti, entered wearing a full-length white-ruffled coat and carrying a full-sized mirror ball. After presenting the mirror ball to judge Drew Lachey, Joe removed his coat to reveal a multi-pastel-colored, bell-bottomed jumpsuit reminiscent of Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert.
- A showcase tap dance routine by 2012 Overture Award winner in dance, Danielle Betscher, wowed the audience.
- The sold-out event had an exceptionally responsive, raucous, and energetic audience, which included large cheering sections, holding signs with various messages and making a loud racket with a variety of noise-makers (including air horns, screaming, stamping feet, etc.).
- After the competition, the dance floor at the Music Hall Ballroom filled with the evening’s guests who danced the night away with DJ Rockin’ Ron from 103.5 WGRR.
- Emcees Chris O’Brien and Tanya O’Rourke kept the crowed entertained between the stars’ dance routines.
THE OVERTURE AWARDS / ACADEMY
The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition is the largest locally-run arts scholarship competition in the country. The program annually provides a $2,500 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship. Each year, more than 500 students are nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Finals, and Final.
The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. Now in its 16th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).
CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves more than 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.2 million students.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 