DANCING WITH OUR STARS

Fancy feet compete

Dancers raise a ruckus to benefit Children’s Tumor Foundation

While a new season of ABC-TV's Dancing With the Stars gets underway, Arkansas can take pride in its own celebrity dance machines: Thomas Blackmon and Vince Insalaco III.

The two men captured top honors -- Blackmon, that of (fundraising) champion, and Insalaco, that of Best Performance -- at Dancing With Our Stars, the fifth annual event to raise money for the Arkansas chapter of the Children's Tumor Foundation, which aids children suffering from neurofibromatosis, or NF.

Rick Fleetwood, last year's champion, and 2013 contestant Melissa Thoma were masters of ceremonies for the contest, which also featured Dr. Paul Phillips doing the tango, Gloria Redman delivering an East Coast Swing routine, Dawn Scott heating up the dance floor Latin style, and LeAnn Wolf serving up professional-quality Latin Style Swing. Serving as instructors/partners for the contestants were Lisa Harper, Melia Mellard, Monika Crissler, Chris Hoffman, Samy Rash and Wesley Crocker. Judges were Christen Pitts, Nicole Capri and 2013 Best Performance winner Daniel Robinson.

Blackmon and Insalaco won their mirror-ball trophies via salsa routines, Insalaco wowing the audience by leaping over Mellard at the beginning of their performance.

The evening also included a cocktail reception, photos on the red carpet, a "super raffle" of five prize packages, remarks about neurofibromatosis by Pete Tanguay, news about the Children's Tumor Foundation NF Endurance Team's participation in Race Across America biking event in June 2015, and remarks by the young NF Ambassadors about attending NF Camp.

Proof that dancing raises mad money even as it destroys bad calories, Dancing With Our Stars generated more than $108,000, which made for another record-breaking year, chapter president Lesley Oslica said.

High Profile on 09/21/2014

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