Youth Emergency Services (YES, www.yesomaha.org) is proud to announce the dancer/ instructor lineups for its 13th Annual Dance for a Chance fundraiser Thursday, October 13, at the Omaha Design Center. This year’s event – Disco Nights – features a mix of community and business leaders who will raise money leading up to the night of the event and then compete against one another for two coveted Mirror Ball trophies – one for best dance performance (decided by judges) and one for most funds (votes) raised.
“We’re really excited about this year’s group of dancers and instructors,” said Barb Farho, YES Director of Development. “Each year, we welcome an amazing group to dance and fundraise for YES, and this year, we have 11 amazing community leaders to help raise awareness and money – and dance – to help youth experiencing homelessness and near-homelessness in our community. It’s going to be a great Disco-themed party!”
Dancers this year are: Paul Baltes, Nebraska Medicine; Chrissy Cameron, Nebraska Realty; Kara Cavel, Nebraska Wesleyan University; Angela Peters, Realty ONE Group; Jenny Powell, Creighton University; Sandy Spady, Entrepreneur, Women With Voices Founder; Sonya Markle, Medical Solutions; Dan Cronin, Fiserv; Kelly Staup, Lindsay Corporation; Carmen Tapio, North End Teleservices, LLC; Chris Tooker, Certified Financial Planner.
This year’s dance instructors/performers (many returning from past years) are: Carolyn Ashton, Arts for All Inc.; Leigh Chaves, JCC Dance Department; Jared Dominguez, Vintage Ballroom; Kaleb Duncan, Independent; Kat Fackler, Independent; Natasha Jade, Miss Natasha Jade Dance & Fitness Training; Kellen Nilles, Vintage Ballroom; Derek Pasqualetto, Vintage Ballroom; Rebekah Pasqualetto, Vintage Ballroom; Lucas Vargas, Vintage Ballroom; David Vieceli, David Vieceli Instruction.
Similar to Dancing with the Stars, Dance for a Chance pairs up dancers with instructors, who then work together to create a dance, pick accompanying music, and practice over the summer before competing in October. At the same time, the dancers are working within their personal and professional networks – largely via social media – to raise awareness and money for Youth Emergency Services.
With this year’s theme being Disco Nights, dancers and instructors will wear costumes from the Disco era and incorporate dance elements from that period in their performances. Attendees are invited to dress in 1970s/Disco attire as well.
Lindsay Corporation returns as this year’s Presenting Sponsor, as does Medical Solutions as the YES Champion Sponsor. Media sponsors are Midlands Business Journal and metroMagazine as print sponsors, KMTV 3 News Now as the TV sponsor, and iHeart Radio as the radio sponsor. Local comedian/entertainer and UNO communications professor Cameron Logsdon will once again serve as this year’s emcee. Former KMTV 3NewsNow Morning Blend teammates Mary Nelson, Mike DiGiacomo, and Kayla Thomas will sit on the judges’ panel.
Please contact YES Director of Development Barb Farho at bfarho@yesomaha.org to learn more about available sponsorships or donating to the silent auction.
Learn more about the dancers, instructors, and how you can help support Dance for a Chance and Youth Emergency Services at www.yesomaha.org as well as on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. People can buy tickets and vote for their favorite dancers at www.yesomaha.org.
Youth Emergency Services is the only nonprofit in Omaha with the sole mission to help youth experiencing homelessness and near-homelessness. Last year, YES provided support and services to more than 750 youth in the Omaha metro area. Learn more about YES at www.yesomaha.org.