Add to favorites Examiner Bio

Washington Dance Club Relay for Life benefit

 

 

Fun and fundraising were the themes of the night as a crowd gathered last night at the historic Avalon Ballroom in downtown Seattle for the first annual Jack and Jill Night fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The event was organized by a local Relay for Life team, Red Carding Cancer, and included social dancing, dance performances, and “Jack and Jill” dance competitions in waltz, swing, salsa, tango, and hustle. A delectable array of food was also provided at no additional charge, buoyed by delicious donations from Blazing Bagels in Redmond and Pinkalious Cupcakes.
 

 The highlight of the evening was a performance by the event’s main organizer, Kara McDermott, and her friend Greg Crosswhite. The couple danced a polka to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Yes, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” And polka. But wait, I think I saw some waltz moves, and some hustle, and were those Argentine tango swivels? With the additional acrobatics thrown in (Kara’s cartwheel and Greg’s intentional tumble to the floor), Len Goodman would have fainted, but the crowd was thoroughly entertained.
 

Social dancing included both traditional and nontraditional music: In addition to foxtrotting to Nat King Cole and swinging to Jim Croce, the dancers were invited to cha cha to Muse and tango to Modest Mouse. There was something for everyone.
 

The Jack and Jill competition was emceed by Mike Begley, president of the USA Dance Performance Team and a fixture in the Seattle dance community. His emceeing skills kept the event running smoothly. In a Jack and Jill competition, the individuals who have signed up to compete gather on the dance floor in concentric circles (ladies on the inside, gents on the outside), and walk in opposite directions, usually to a few seconds of music (Mike treated us to his renditions of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and other children’s favorites, in honor of his two-year-old daughter). When the emcee says “stop,” the person opposite you is your partner for that dance. What makes this challenging is that you may be dancing with a brand new partner, and there is no time to get acclimated to his or her style, so it is a true test of lead and follow skills. After elimination rounds, the best couple in each dance is chosen, and a dance-off determines the ultimate winner. Prizes were donated and included jewelry for the ladies from Warren Jewelers, a private lesson donated by a Washington Dance Club instructor, and a ten-person cooking class from DeNunzio’s.   The volunteer judges were dance instructors Johnnie Bryant and Loretta Turin, and Relay for Life volunteer Tino Basile.
 

This was an incredibly fun evening, as evidenced by the fact that most of the attendees stayed until after midnight on a Thursday to enjoy the festivities. Best of all, Relay for Life raised $890 with this event. The facilities were generously donated by Washington Dance Club.
 

Relay for Life is an annual fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. For more information or to make a donation to support the Red Carding Cancer Team and the American Cancer Society, please visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/redcardingcancer09.