Letter to the Editor

Dancing professionals made event happen

Friday, April 10, 2009

To the Editor:

Saturday night's Dancing with the Putnam County Stars could not have happened without the professional and experienced dancers and instructors.

Tara Gardner, Stephanie Neeper, Colleen Muir, Jessyca South, Katie Wallace, Tim Tillotson, Brad Sandy, Kyle Booher, and David Terry all gave local celebrities the moves and confidence they needed to make the Putnam County Youth Development Commission fund raiser a rousing success.

Behind the scenes, these dancers had to deal with more than just the awkwardness of their partners. Tara lost her father the Monday before the show, attended the funeral the day of the show, and led off the event with the first dance. She even bought all the dancers t-shirts commemorating the event. What a trooper!

Colleen was on crutches two weeks before the show and was still in pain Saturday night, but guided her partner to a perfect 30 score. Another trooper!

Stephanie choreographed four of the twelve dances, one of them earning a perfect score. She danced with two partners, and proved positively that awkward men with no dance experience can learn to dance.

Tara and Stephanie, along with Lita Sandy (who choreographed the winning dance), all offer schools of dance on the west side of the Greencastle square. Stephanie's school is specifically for ballroom dance. What a great opportunity for local residents to learn a few moves they can use on the dance floor.

Believe me men, it's not that hard. These girls can teach, and make it fun and easy at the same time. Your best girl will appreciate you taking her for a spin on the dance floor, and you will have a great time yourself.

Thanks to all the instructors and dancers, and come on Putnam County, let's dance!

Mike Van Rensselaer

Greencastle