Local Celebs Ready for Dancing with Our Stars

While “Dancing with the Stars” just announced its lineup for the 31st season, premiering on Sept. 19, Hamilton County has its own version of the dance competition.

The Eighth annual Dancing with Our Stars, featuring local celebrities, on Sept. 8, will benefit our own Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County. Ticket sales end on Wednesday.

Meals on Wheels, which started in 1975, delivers more than 56,800 meals each year to elderly, disabled, chronically ill and home-bound residents in all eight communities of Hamilton County.

I am told that many of the “celebrities” have zero dancing experience. But many volunteer after seeing a friend in the dance competition.

The celebrities are partnered with local dance professionals from early spring until the show to learn their routine.

“Dancing with Our Stars” was originally created as an out-of-the-box fundraiser idea, and eight years later, the event is still going strong.

Meals on Wheels executive director Beth Gehlhausen looks for people in the community who want to come and have some fun and get their family and friends to join for the event, and then pairs the local “celeb” with a local dance professional.

“It’s the best entertainment you’ll see all year,” Gehhausen said.

While there are new celebrity dancers every year, most of the professional dancers have participated all eight years. The “local celeb” and the dance professional pick their performance style and song together. A top male and female dancer are crowned at the end of the night as well as a People’s Choice winner, which is the dancer who receives the most votes, or dollars donated on their behalf.

Tickets are $75 and include a catered dinner, wine at the table and dessert.

Professional dancers include: Rob Jenkins, Scott Shook, Adam Trogdlen, Ed Godby-Schwab, Xavier Medina, Natasha Cox, Yulia Shook, Diana Miller, Olga Cansino and Kristen Motz

Here are this season’s local “celebrity” dancers who are paired with the professional dancers:

• Tim Griffin dancing with Natasha Cox — Griffin is a Carmel Fire Public Information Officer perhaps best known for his regular segment on WISH-TV’s Life.Style.Live as “Fireman Tim.” Cox has been teaching ballroom and Latin dancing for over thirteen years now. S
• Phil Huang dancing with Kristen Motz — Huang is an orthopedic surgeon with Community Health Network specializing in hip and knee replacements and revision surgery. Motz is owner of Rivvn Dance Co. where she teaches private lessons and is a Latin dancer for local events around the city.
• Aaron Head dancing with Diana Miller — Heais d Community Engagement Manager for the City of Noblesville
• Tom Kilian dancing with Olga Cansino — Kilian is Hamilton County Community Foundation president and IMPACT Central Indiana
• Kenneth Hubbard dancing with Yulia Shook – Hubbard is retired Brigadier General serving more than 32 years as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G8 (Comptroller) U.S. Army Central Command, SHAW AFB, Sumter, S.C. Shook is an independent instructor who teaches at Starlite Ballroom Dance School and is NDCA registered as a teacher and professional competitor.
• Erin Dickerson dancing with Ed Godby-Schwab — Dickerson is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor.Godby-Schwab has more than 50 years of dance experience in several styles of dance, including jazz, ballet, modern and ballroom.
• Pinky Stuhldreher dancing with Adam Trogdlen — Stuhldreher is a retired Community Health Network physician and ballroom dancing enthusiast
• Kris Beckwith dancing with Scott Shook — Beckwith is an obstetrician/gynecologist with Community Health Network. Shook is an independent instructor who teaches at Starlite Ballroom Dance School and is National Dance Council of America (NDCA) registered as a teacher and professional competitor.
• Karen Keinsley dancing with Rob Jenkins — Keinsley is a certified public accountant with Slattery & Holman, P.C.  Jenkins for the last 23 years has been a full-time ballroom dance instructor and five of those years, Rob danced in professional ballroom competitions with his wife Melissa.
• Taylor McLean dancing with Xavier Medina — McLean is a marketing program specialist at Indiana Donor Network and Communications and branding director at Clauson Marshall Racing. Medina is a director, choreographer and dancer.

Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.