Letter to the Editor

All involved deserved a '10' for Dancing with the Stars event

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

To the Editor:

This last Saturday evening the Putnam County Youth Development Commission (PCYDC) hosted the fourth annual Dancing with the Stars. I have been fortunate to participate as one of the three judges for the competition. Trust me, it is not because I have any knowledge regarding the art of dance.

The experience has always been great fun, thanks to the hard work and compassion people like Linda Merkel, Patti Harmless, and all the board members of PCYDC have for this very successful event.

Thanks to them, the many sponsors, the excellent, incredibly hard working professionals, the emcee Fig Hardwick, the co-hosts Beau Battin and Jana Brothers, and all others too numerous to mention, the agency has raised significant funds for the benefit of Putnam County children.

My main purpose, however, is to thank the "Stars" -- those who agreed (perhaps as a result of much arm twisting) to spend all those hours learning a dance, finding appropriate costumes, trying to curb their nerves and then exhibiting their newly found talent in front of hundreds of spectators.

Every one of them deserves a 10, all of them winners. Hopefully, they can forgive us for sitting up there, not putting out any effort whatsoever, making wisecracks and pretending to know something about dance.

It is important for me to tell everyone who has participated as a Star these four years, that they have provided fantastic shows and that we are all indebted to them for their dedication and willingness to support the cause and for giving us so many reason to smile and cheer.

There is a short piece of poetry, giving us reason to dance whenever we can, by Gregory Orr.

To be alive: not just the carcass

But the spark.

That's crudely put, but...

If we're not supposed to dance,

Why all this music?

Diana LaViolette

Greencastle