Dancers take the stage in The STAR Center’s DWTS

Dancers took to the stage at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on October 24th, 2024, in the annual Dancing with the STARs (DWTS) fundraiser for the STAR Center. The competition was presented by Leaders Credit Union and featured seven teams of dancers comprised of prominent local figures representing organizations in the Jackson area who danced for the coveted DWTS  champion mirror ball trophy. 

The night was emceed by Colene Trent and featured a live auction, dinner provided by Jackson’s Kitchen and Catering, and lively performances from each team of dancers. This year’s DWTS event also saw special non-competition performances from Pat Brown School of Dance’s Sweet Chance to Dance Class and a contemporary pop number performance from Ballet Art’s dancers.  

The dancers who competed on stage danced routines set to various pop culture music staples such as musical numbers from Grease to soundtracks from hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton. Between each dance performance, the audience was able to hear from the dancers and their coaches themselves in video interviews where they explained their thoughts on the immense amount of preparation and work that went into training to perform their routines. The teams also expressed gratitude at being able to be a part of this year’s DWTS event and raise money for the STAR Center’s cause during their interviews. 

“Dancing with the STARs was memorable, fun, challenging, and so rewarding. The STAR Center’s impact for our community is vital, and I am proud that I was able to play a role in helping through my team’s performance,” DWTS performer Haley Fortune said. Fortune danced with Julian McTizit, Sr. and was sponsored by the Community Foundation of West Tennessee. 

During the event, guests were also encouraged to give back to the STAR Center’s cause by donating when voting for their favorite dancers. By the end of the night, the event had raised over $292,000 to go towards providing disability services and resources for individuals across Jackson and West Tennessee. 

The final portion of the evening saw the teams of dancers return to the stage to receive awards for their performances on stage. Bailey Bell and Stephanie Wilbourn were dubbed the 2024 champions of the competition and took home the mirror ball trophy. The two received the award for their hit performance of “Anything You Can Do” from the film Annie Get Your Gun and were sponsored by Hal and Angela Crocker.  

The DWTS event has proven to be extremely beneficial to the STAR Center in terms of fundraising over the years. The money raised at this event helps directly impact the lives of the people that the STAR Center serves each and every day. The organization has been in need of funding for building repairs and expressed that the money raised at the DWTS event would make those repairs, such as fixing the roof of their building, possible. 

For more information next year’s Dancing with the STARs event, the services the STAR Center provides, or how to be a part of their mission to #CrushTheNO for those with disabilities in the West Tennessee region, visit their website at https://www.star-center.org/.