LIFESTYLES
WEEKEND, JANUARY 10-11, 2015
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Kristi Smalley of Hermiston practices the waltz with dance instructor Seth Ward of Keizer while preparing for the Dancing with the Hermiston Stars compe-
tition Tuesday in Hermiston.
ARE YOU READY TO
RUMBA ?
or foxtrot, or waltz, or Charleston, or swing ...
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Eric Reise of Hermiston dips
dance instructor Chandler
Moss of Las Vegas, Nev.,
while practicing the pasod-
oble Tuesday for the Dancing
with the Hermiston Stars
competition on Tuesday in
Hermiston.
Hermiston stars take
the stage for charity
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
W
hen six familiar
faces take the stage
for Dancing With
Hermiston Stars, don’t let
the glitter and glam fool you.
Members of the group have
thrown down the gauntlet and
are ready to rumba as they
compete in raising money for the
charities of their choice.
In its third year, the popular
Desert Arts Council event
pairs local stars with members
of the Utah Ballroom Dance
Company. The partners met
earlier this week and have been
learning their moves. The event
crescendos with Saturday’s
community performance in
the Hermiston High School
auditorium.
An evening of show tunes
will showcase the talents of
Dave Smith, who will be swing
dancing to “Jailhouse Rock,”
Dawn Kennison-Kerrigan
doing the Charleston to
“Chicago,” Eric Reise taking
on the pasodoble to the tunes of
“Pirates of the Caribbean,” Erica
Sandoval getting down with
the mambo in “Dirty Dancing,”
If you go
WHEN: Saturday, Jan 10
TIME: 7 p.m., doors open at
6:30 p.m.
PLACE: Hermiston High
School auditorium
COST: $35 adults, $20
students
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
John Wambeke of Hermiston practices the foxtrot with dance instructor Laura Hanlon of
Newport Beach, Calif., as other teams rehearse Tuesday for the Dancing with the Hermiston
Stars competition in Hermiston.
Kristi Smalley waltzing as
“Cinderella” and John Wambeke
doing the foxtrot with the “Pink
Panther.”
Side-stepping the opportunity
to participate the past two years,
Smith decided to embrace the
spirit of the event. Now, the
hometown boy is having fun
and raising money for Campus
Life. And because of his lack of
dancing skills — Smith admits
“wiggling a little” when at
weddings — he is leaning heavy
on the fun factor.
“Behind the scenes, there’s
been ribbing and trash talking,
so it’s been really fun,” Smith
said.
But the king of trash talk,
according to Kennison-Kerrigan,
has been Smith himself.
“Dave thinks he’s going to
win the whole thing. He did just
have toe surgery, so that will
put him at a disadvantage —
especially if I step on him with
high heels,” Kennison-Kerrigan
said.
Speaking of shoes, Reise may
have stepped on Sandoval’s toes
when he observed her wearing
her sturdy work boots during the
“She could use orthopedic
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Dance instructor Naomi Skee of Santa Maria, Calif., demon-
strates hand stylings to Dawn Kennison-Kerrigan of Hermis-
ton on Tuesday in Hermiston.
the taller heels,” he said.
Sandoval, Hermiston’s crime
with a comeback, saying they
might need paramedics on
standby with oxygen for Reise.
Sandoval said he took off his tie
and peeled some layers as things
Sizing up the competition,
Smith initially deduced
Wambeke trots ahead of most
Wambeke, who heads up the
annual Cabin Fever Concert,
admits his talents are more
focused on singing and playing
instruments. Also, it appears
Smith didn’t investigate
Sandoval’s past experiences.
While Sandoval and Reise
have argued that only one
“E” would be left standing,
Wambeke said it’s conceivable
it could go to either Sandoval or
Reise.
“Erica is a really good
dancer,” Wambeke said. “And
I think Eric has really good
rhythm.”
By participating in the event,
Sandoval is checking off an item
on her bucket list. Although
she’s never had real formal
training, she did participate on
Hermiston’s Stardust dance
team and was a part of a hip hop
group.
“I’ve been dancing since I
learned to walk,” she said.
Reise also said you can’t
count Smalley out — she could
waltz in under the wire.
For Smalley, a key motivation
is raising money for The Arc
Umatilla County. Also, she got
caught up in the excitement of
the event as an audience member
during the past two seasons.
She later had an encounter with
Jacelyn Keys, event chairwoman
for Desert Arts.
“In a moment of weakness or
inspiration, I said, ‘Do you need
dancers?’ It sounded good in
July,” Smalley said with a laugh.
In addition to her experience
behind the scenes and on stage,
Kennison-Kerrigan, a teacher at
Desert View Elementary School,
is excited the professional
dancers have been working with
some area students. A group of
40 will dance during the show’s
opening number.
Kennison-Kerrigan is in awe
of the whole process. While
the competition winner is
determined through the judges’
voting, the audience also votes
through donations, which go to
the dancer’s charity.
“It’s amazing how people
can learn to dance that fast,”
Kennison-Kerrigan said. “I think
it’s great they ... put on a great
from it.”
1C