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Putnam County stars dance through the ages
Balka, Clute go viral to take 2013 crown
The first dancers of the night set the standard high at Saturday's Dancing with the Putnam County Stars event.
In the end, 11 other strong dances couldn't stand up to the original, with Mike Balka and Ashley Clute taking home the 2013 title.
The high-energy rendition of "Gangnam Style" from the Autumn Glen Senior Community director and his professional partner kicked the night off in rousing style, getting high praise from the judges and audience.
Balka said he was somewhat surprised to win, but not extremely so, given the good routine he knew Clute had developed.
"I can't say I was extremely shocked. It was an entertaining routine that Ashley made up and a very modern, upbeat song," he said. "At the same time, everybody else was amazing and got the same scores as us too. So I was kind of shocked."
He added that the benefits of having the first routine of the night far outweighed any possible drawbacks. Balka said he and Clute could carry the energy of the opening number over to their routine.
"I didn't have to catch my breath and then get back into the mood. And I was able to enjoy the rest of the night," Balka said.
He joins past winners Kathy Asbell (2012), Charlene Shrewsbury (2011), Alan Zerkel (2010) and Stacey Baugh (2009).
In accepting the award, Balka put the focus back on what the fifth annual event is really about -- a fundraiser for the Putnam County Youth Development Commission.
"After hearing the fundraiser totals, (winning) isn't near as big a deal. Amazing. Amazing," Balka said.
The totals of which Balka spoke were of the $27,748.20 raised by the dancers leading up to the event. Of this total, two dancers stood out -- $4,294.44 from Putnam County Museum Director Tanis Monday and $8,425.80 from Fillmore Elementary School secretary Penny Long.
Long said taking the top fundraiser prize was especially exciting, as it played into something she already enjoys.
"That is an awesome honor because I love fundraising," Long said. "That is one of my passions. I love to fundraise so this was quite an honor for me."
PCYDC Director Linda Merkel also shared that the silent auction on Saturday evening raised $4,700. Total funds raised by the event will be available at a later date.
The night opened with a "Dancing through the ages" medley that ranged from pre-World War II jazz to contemporary music from the likes of Black Eyed Peas and LMFAO.
Along the way, there were stops that included the Twist, the Village People, the Macarena and Kool & the Gang's "Celebration." The outfits from the 2013 stars, dancing pros and dancer alumni reflected just about every fashion trend of the last century.
The night's competitive dances were similarly varied. Fresh off of Balka and Clute dancing to their YouTube-driven hit, Darrell Felling and Tara Gardner threw a curveball with a tap dance routine that drew the night's second perfect score.
"I'm not sure if that was tapping tonight, but I was trying," the Greencastle attorney Felling told judges Denny Bridges, Matt Headley and Trudy Selvia.
The remainder of the early dances included a jive from Long and Brad Sandy, a hip-hop routine by Tara Baugh and Andre Williams (another perfect 30 score) and a foxtrot by Nancy Holsapple and David Boswell.
After a brief intermission, Ken Eitel and Lita Sandy got things going again with swing routine, followed by the evening's fourth perfect score from Nancy Michael and Quinn Carrico.
A fast-paced tango from Tanis Monday and partner Logan Kuhne inspired another 30 from the judges and one of the best comments of the night from judge Selvia.
"Logan, there were no math teachers like you back when I was in school," she said to the Greencastle High School teacher.
Shawn Gobert and Tara Gardner followed with a hip-hop dance to "Ice, Ice Baby," a routine notable in that it yielded a near-perfect score of 29 despite having been rehearsed as a duo for less than an hour.
Gobert's original partner Jessyca South injured her Achilles tendon prior to Thursday's dress rehearsal. Rather than leave the Ridpath principal without the opportunity to dance, Gardner stepped in, learned the routine and pulled it off quite nicely.
Dan McMurtry and Lori Briones were next with a throwback, dancing a bit of musical theater to "Singin' in the Rain" -- complete with umbrellas.
Amber Bowers (who was the photographer for the first four DWTPCS events) and Jacob Peterman followed with a swing dance.
The second-place dance of the evening came last, with a classy swing and foxtrot combo by Randy Seipel and Katie Wallace to Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife."
The veteran Greencastle detective was impressively light on his feet with a partner who may have started out rehearsals just a little bit intimidated.
"He shows up to the first rehearsal," Wallace told the judges with a laugh, "and takes off his jacket, removes his gun and says, 'I'm ready.'"
Following all the awards, a tired but still energetic Merkel said she and co-organizer Patti Harmless are always in awe of the community support for the annual event.
"We continue to be humbled by the way our community embraces what we do. And they continue to support it," Merkel said. "We are very thankful that we live and work in such a great community. We are honored to be able to do this.
"If it weren't for all the wonderful dancers and the sponsors, this would not be possible. Patti and I do put in a lot of hard work, but it doesn't compare to what those dancers do and sacrifice."