What a fabulous gala Saturday evening! Seven amazing Prep parents, coupled with terrific instructors, showed how they could shake, rattle, and roll at Dancing with the Santa Fe Stars! These brave and talented dancers performed to hits from Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Singin’ in the Rain, and other Hollywood films that had our audience cheering and dancing in their seats! The unforgettable energy of these dancers and their remarkable dedication to the youth in our community raised tens of thousands of dollars for Breakthrough and tuition assistance at Santa Fe Prep.
Andrea Broyles and Christa Garcia-Marti opened the evening with a boombox and a fabulous hip hop routine. Jesús Bas and Michaelann Perea performed vignettes from The Godfather with a perfect salsa and onstage singing and guitar playing by Jesús. Traci Hickey and Tina Anderson perfected an in sync non-stop hip hop to music from Black Panther that we thought only teenagers might attempt. Wendy Trevisani and John Selya carried huge, bright smiles as they twisted and bopped to “You’re the One that I Want” from Grease. Sarah Carswell ’92 and Mike Garcia twirled their umbrellas to show how “Singin’ in the Rain” is delightfully contagious. Carter Sims and Aviva Baumann flashed disco moves in their glory while “Stayin’ Alive.” Tom Hnasko and Kate Malone performed an unforgettable duet of funk, R&B, and shine to let us know that “24K Magic” is the goal they set for our biggest fundraiser. Thank you, talented dancers!!
Our judges—Mayor Alan Webber, Jay Heneghan, Charles Dale, and Mike Multari—provided accolades to all of our dancers and laughs for all . . . often noting that they were not sure which dance partner was the professional! Thank you, wonderful judges!
Our fabulous co-chairs, Christie Weichsel and Jenn Sims, volunteered to organize this event because they care for and are dedicated to our community. They spearheaded this event because they know that tuition assistance and Breakthrough are vital to who we are and managed this event with grace and generosity. Thank you, amazing co-chairs!
The support of our wonderful and thoughtful sponsors and donors made the evening a great success; we couldn’t do this without them! Thank you to all of these terrific and community-minded organizations and businesses:
Thornburg Investment Management; Century Bank; Hinkle Shanor LLP; McGinn, Montoya, Love & Curry, P.A.; Bristol Family Law; Caroline Russell and Jeff Thomas; Gemini Rosemont Realty; Happy Smiles Happy Teeth, Patricia Peck, DDS; Neil Lyon Group/Sotheby’s International Realty, Neil Lyon and Christian Weichsel; New Mexico Bank & Trust; Santa Fe Advisors, LLC; Stedman/Kehoe/Hirsch Sotheby’s International Realty; Deborah J. Trouw, Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors, Inc; Visage Orthodontics; A. Christopher Purvis Architects; First National 1870 – Guardian Mortgage; Jake Rodar Gallagher Insurance; HVL Interiors; Kellam Orthodontics; Northern New Mexico Gastroenterology Association; All Girls Media; The Beauty Bar; Costumes! Ltd.; Favorite Brands; Hutton Broadcasting; National Dance Institute of New Mexico; Señor Murphy Candymaker; Sandy and Chip Cunningham, Outside Go; deBella Fine Gems and Jewelry; Jenn and Carter Sims; Roseta M. Santiago; New Mexico United; Ocean Munds-Dry and Randy Dry.
A huge shout out to Tara Debevec, our production manager for the evening, who ran the show with such grace!
Grand trophies were awarded for:
Midas Award—for the pair that raised the most money for Santa Fe Prep’s tuition assistance and Breakthrough—Tom Hnasko and Kate Malone!
People’s Choice—for the pair that brought in the most voters—Wendy Trevisani and John Selya!
Judges’ Award—for the pair that our Judges voted on for the performance of the evening—Sarah Carswell and Mike Garcia! This was a challenging task for our Judges, as they would love to watch all of our dancers perform again and again.
Honorable Mention—for the pair that had explosive energy and showed the Judges moves that we thought humanly impossible—Traci Hickey and Tina Anderson!
Be sure to follow Dancing with the Santa Fe Stars on Facebook and Instagram—photos of the event soon to come!
A GRAND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE!!