The countdown is on for the third annual A Night Among the Stars gala, set for March 9 at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.
Folks from across Central Alberta have signed up with professional dancers to prepare all kinds of routines — all to benefit Lacombe Big Brothers Big Sisters and Dancer’s Edge Studio scholarships.
These celebrity dancers include Sylvan Lake resident Brad Bromley, who will be tackling a hip-hop routine with his partner Amber Bolan, a full-time teacher with Dancer’s Edge Studio.
“My daughter dances with Dancer’s Edge in Lacombe, so knowing a lot of the people who are involved there, I was asked to take part last year but passed on it. But we did attend the event, and after being there and seeing it, I started to think, yes, I could probably do that,” he added with a laugh.
“It looks like fun! Also, knowing what it’s for — the Dancer’s Edge Parents Association and also Big Brothers, Big Sisters, it’s a pretty easy cause to get behind,” he said.
”I remember from last year how much support they received, so it was really heart-warming.”
Bromley said that although he has no extensive dancing experience per se other than a bit of line dancing and two-step, it’s been an exciting venture to learn something entirely new.
“The whole experience has been a lot of fun,” he said. “It takes you out of your comfort zone. It’s challenging. Amber said from the beginning that she was going to challenge me.
“There is the memorizing all of the hip-hop moves, and the lingo, and also trying to get your feet to catch up with your mind has probably been the biggest challenge,” he explained.
“It’s also been more physically demanding than I had thought.”
Meanwhile, Bromley has also been getting some help from his daughter, who, as mentioned, is a competitive dancer.
“She makes it look easy — she can remember 10 or 11 dances that they do in a year, and I don’t know how they do it!”
Bromley and Bolan started rehearsing their routine back in mid-December, and have been meeting about once a week to go through the paces and refine it step by step.
”Our pro dancers are so good at what they do, and they are amazing dancers — all of them. To be able to learn from them has been a really neat experience.”
The actual routine is about three minutes in length.
“I also do a bit of practice at home, and I think with just a couple of weeks out from the event now, we are going to start practicing a couple more times a week just to clean it up.”
Looking at the actual event, Bromley noted that while it’s a bit nerve-wracking, that is all part of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and trying new things.
“I’m not a pro, and it’s not going to be perfect, but I’m okay with that — it’s all for a good cause, and it’s a good event. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
A Night Among Stars, powered by Lacombe Ford, is put on by the Dancer’s Edge Parents Association.
”To me, it shows what the community can do when everyone works together,” said Jen Harty, BBBS interim executive director, adding that this year’s event will include charcuterie boards and a late-night dinner of a poutine bar.
Harty said that as she’s been in contact with the celebrity dancers these past few weeks, there’s been a growing sense of excitement as the big day approaches.
This year’s other dancers include Tegan Heck, Lisa Vornbrock, Ted Lloyd, Todd Lewis, and Trinity Williams.
“I also had a sneak peek at one of the routines, and it’s just going to be a great evening of entertainment,” she said.
“I applaud them all, because they are stepping out of their comfort zones, and there is also a real variety of styles of dance this year. I’m so excited!:
To donate to a dancer, head to the A Night Among the Stars Facebook page to find each of their website links (www.facebook.com/nightamongstars).
Tickets are available for purchase via the Big Brothers Big Sisters Facebook page as well.
Last year, the Dancer’s Edge Parents Association was able to raise just over $47,000.
Again, for ticket information (tables of eight or single tickets are available) for A Night Among the Stars, head to the A Night Among the Stars Facebook page, call the Big Brothers Big Sisters office at 403-782-7870 or visit www.lacombe.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.