Schulte & Bradshaw New DANCING FOR THE STARS Champs

Neal Schulte
and Dance Pro Leigh Bradshaw
Crowned New Dancing for the Stars Champs 

Schulte also named ‘Fundraising Champion’

CINCINNATI, OH – Neal Schulte (Founder & President, Schulte Financial Group, LLC) and his dance pro Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company) received a near-perfect score of 28 (out of 30), taking first place at the Cincinnati Arts Association’s eighth-annual Dancing for the Stars on Saturday, April 12, at the Music Hall Ballroom. Schulte also took home the ‘Fundraising Champion’ Award, as the celebrity who raised the most money for the event through ticket sales and donations.

With an audience of more than 800 guests (a new attendance record), the sold-out event raised a record amount in support of CAA’s acclaimed arts education programs, including the Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition.

Keith Wilson, MD, FACS (Chief of Staff, UC Health) and Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) took second place; and Britney Ruby Miller (Director of Operations, Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment) and J. Patrick Clements (Step-n-Out Studio) placed third.

The remaining four dance pairs included:

• Linda Bessey (Faux Painter) and Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
• Rick Pawlak (Managing Director, Ultimate Air Shuttle) and Grace de Guia (Dare to Dance)
• Kay Smith-Yount (Philanthropist; Wife of The Cincinnati Herald Editor-in-Chief, Dan Yount) and Jozsef Parragh (Independent Dance Instructor)
• Christianna Stephens (Philanthropist; CEO, A Lice in Wonderland) and Brian McNamee (Cincinnati Ballroom Company)

Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars 2014 featured seven 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 Swing, and each dance pair had 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

Event emcees were Chris O’Brien & Janeen Coyle (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM).

The three competition judges were Douglas Beal (independent dance instructor), Doreen Beatrice (Step-n-Out Studio; Dancing for the Stars 2013 champion), and Dr. Michael Leadbetter (cosmetic surgeon, Plastic Surgery Group; Dancing for the Stars 2012 celebrity alum and Fundraising Champion)

The Dancing for the Stars 2014 Committee: Dr. Tracey Skale (chair, Dancing for the Stars 2011 champ), Phil Schworer, Christina Bolden, Terry Foster, Sue Gilkey, Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, and Rosemary Schlachter.

Dancing for the Stars 2014 Presenting Sponsor: UC Health

Dancing for the Stars 2014 Event Sponsors: Stock Yards Bank & Trust, Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Bonita Brockert, Carey Digital, Cincinnati Ballroom Company, Dare to Dance, Heidelberg Distributing, Jozsef Parragh, Pebble Creek Group, and Step-n-Out Studio.

Currently in its eighth year, Dancing for the Stars has become one of the most-anticipated fundraising events of the season. Since the event’s debut in 2007, 57 local celebs have ‘danced for a cause’, and the impressive list of past champions includes: 2007 – Dr. O’dell Owens (President, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College; former Hamilton County Coroner); 2008 – Jenell Walton (Reporter, The List; former WCPO-TV9 Anchor and Reporter); 2009 – Phil Schworer (President – Cincinnati Bar Association / Environmental Lawyer); 2010 – Donna Speigel (Owner, The Snooty Fox); 2011 – Dr. Tracey Skale, M.D. (Chief Medical Officer, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services), 2012 – Regina Russo (Director of Marketing and Communications, Cincinnati Art Museum), and 2013 – Chris Seelbach (Cincinnati City Councilman).

In addition, Dancing for the Stars 2014 featured:

• Dinner-by-the-bite provided by A Catered Affair, Brio Tuscan Grille, Carlo & Johnny, City Barbeque, Eddie Merlot’s, Funky’s Catering, Jeff Thomas Catering, Kroger, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Palomino Restaurant & Bar, Prime 47, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Skyline Chili, The Bliss Factor, Tres Belles Cakes, Valet Coffee, Vonderhaar’s Catering, Inc., and Whole Foods Market.
• Silent auction
• The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra
• Popular DJ and 103.5 WGRR personality Rockin’ Ron Schumacher
• Pre-event wine tasting and meet-and-greet with the stars
• Open dancing before and after the competition

Event highlights included:

• Financial guru and body-builder Neal Schulte scored the night’s only perfect 10 with a dance routine to Great Balls of Fire, complete with a bright-red jacket, a set of push-ups, and impressive choreography with his dance pro Leigh Bradshaw.
• A West Coast swing tribute to Michael Jackson, featuring a moon walk and a flash mob of more than a dozen dancers, from second-place finishers Dr. Keith Wilson & Desiree Mainous.
• Third-place winner Britney Ruby Miller showed off her splits and spins in a sailor-attired, spirited swing with partner J. Patrick Clements.
• This season’s senior celeb, Kay Smith-Yount, graced the dance floor with her inimitable style, elegance, and charm, winning the heart of her dance partner, Jozsef Parragh.
• Rick Pawlak paid tribute to The Great Gatsby by dancing with not one, but two, lovely ladies, including his dance pro Grace de Guia.
• Christianna Stephens wowed the audience with her stunning, beaded, form-fitting dress with a fringed skirt and her equally impressive dance moves with pro Brian McNamee.
• Linda Bessey played hard to get with Jeremy Mainous in a country-themed swing to Toby Keith’s “I Like Girls That Drink Beer.”
• An encore dance by last season’s champions, Chris Seelbach and Doreen Beatrice, to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
• Creatively-choreographed and expertly-executed exhibition dances by the Dancing for the Stars pros, including a department-store-mannequin themed cha cha / hip hop routine danced by Grace de Guia & Terri Ann Atkinson.
• Broadway razzle-dazzle in the showcase performance by 2014 Overture Award dance winner, Lauren Slouffman, who danced to “All That Jazz” from the hit-musical Chicago.
• Humorous, astute, and supportive comments from the Dancing for the Stars panel of judges.
• The sold-out event had an exceptionally responsive, raucous, and energetic audience, which included large cheering sections holding signs with various messages.
• After the competition, the dance floor at the Music Hall Ballroom filled with the evening’s guests who danced the night away to music by DJ Rockin’ Ron from 103.5 WGRR.
• Emcees Chris & Janeen kept the crowd entertained between the stars’ dance routines.

CAA’s OVERTURE AWARDS AND ARTS EDUCTION PROGRAMS
The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition is the largest locally-run arts scholarship competition in the country. The program annually provides a $3,500 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $750 scholarship. Each year, more than 450 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-Final, 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 18th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).

Since its inception in 1995, the Cincinnati Arts Association’s (CAA) Education and Community Programs have reached more than 1.3 million Tri-state students and have promoted learning through the arts by developing opportunities that are diverse, multi-disciplinary, and accessible to all ages and cultural groups. Through projects with artists, arts organizations and cultural institutions, CAA promotes the arts as an integral part of our community. For more information, visit http://www.cincinnatiarts.org/education-community.

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 600,000 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.