The countdown is on for this year’s Swinging with the Stars fundraiser to be held on June 19. Excitement is building for the annual event which has raised funds for Limestone Coast community foundation Stand Like Stone for more than a decade.
This year’s “stars” have been busy fundraising and perfecting their dances, getting ready to showcase their moves and hard work. Hype Dance has partnered with Stand Like Stone for the past 10 years, with choreographer Kim Cella and her assistant Kiana Soper teaching the local celebrities their dances.
They will perform jive, swing, rumba and hip-hop routines with their dance partners, who are experienced local dancers. Ms Cella said some of the dancers were practicing up to 10 hours each week. “They’re a committed bunch,” she said. “Outside their Sunday rehearsals I’m seeing their faces at the studio three to four times a week.”
Judges will crown one of the competitors as the best dancer, while the dancer who raises the most money will receive the People’s Choice award. There will be live music by Louise Adams and Stand Like Stone chief executive Anne Kerr encouraged the community to attend.
Ms Kerr said it was a community effort to bring the event together each year. “We’re very lucky,” she said. “Stand Like Stone just could not do it without the volunteers and the local businesses across the region that support it year after year.”
Swinging with the Stars helps raise funds for the running costs of the foundation and each dancer is also raising money for a sub-fund of their choice. The foundation is committed to raising money to help people in the region, investing all donations and granting the interest into the community in grants and educational scholarships.
Ms Kerr said the dancers had been inventive with their fundraisers, which included quiz nights, a car wash, dinners, a pop-up market, a fun run for pets and a boxing class. “It’s humbling, because they’re doing so much to help our community,” she said. “It brings a smile to my face because they’re just so cool and I cannot wait to see all their hard work pay off.”
Ms Cella said it was wonderful to be involved with Swinging with the Stars each year. “The Stand Like Stone foundation provides scholarships for students to further themselves, which I think is really important because education is a key skill to have for life,” she said. “That’s why I love this foundation, because they support learning at any stage of life.”
Tickets are available at Chapmans Newsagency or by contacting 8725 3300. Donations can be made during the lead-up to the event or on the night at The Barn Palais.
