Disco may have been king, but the quick step took the trophy in a record-breaking Dancing with the Hermiston Stars this weekend.
Blue Mountain Community College President Cam Preus won the mirror ball trophy and the title of “Dancing with the Hermiston Stars” champion for 2016.
“I’m feeling pretty darn good,” Preus said after the event. “I had a very patient teacher. It’s been a real privilege.”
Dancing with the Hermiston Stars is a production of the Desert Arts Council where six Hermiston “stars” compete in a dance competition and charity fundraiser. This year’s event raised more than $15,000 for local charities, the highest total ever.
The champion is decided based on a combination of audience votes, judge scores and donation amounts.
This year’s stars were:
- Blain Ganvoa, athletic director at Hermiston High School, who performed a swing dance for Martha’s House and received judge scores of 9/8/9.
- Preus, who quick stepped for the BMCC Foundation and received scores of 7/8/8.
- Dan Briscoe, vice president of Apollo Mechanical, who tangoed for Vange John Memorial Hospice and received a score of 10/9/10 from the judges.
- Debbie Cissna, center director for Pregnancy Care Services in Hermiston, who performed a night club two-step for her organization and received 9/9/9 from the judges.
- Shannon Snyder, defining details owner and photographer, who discoed for Made to Thrive and received the first 10 of the night – 9/10/9.
- Jesus Rome, Umatilla Morrow Head Start program manager, who performed the Cha Cha for CASA and received 8/7/8 from the judges.
This is the fourth year for the Dancing with the Hermiston Stars and the 31st season for the Desert Arts Council. Each year, the Hermiston dancers are paired with a professional dance partner and have one week to learn and practice with the professionals before the performance.
Mark Lowes, event emcee and executive director of the Utah Ballroom Dance Company, quipped the Hermiston dancers had “lost more sleep this week than first-time parents.” Briscoe, who was the competition’s runner up, also admitted the hardest part of the week was trying to sleep instead of mentally replaying steps.
Cissna looked at the dance as a way to bring awareness to Pregnancy Care Services. “At first I was excited about the opportunity,” she said. “After the first night of practice, I thought, ‘Oh, what did I do.’ ”
Preus had the opposite reaction – at first she said no, but was convinced to participate.
“When I was first asked to do this, I said, ‘No, I have a bad knee,’ ” Preus said. “It must have been a weak moment.”
That weak moment played out well for Preus, who earned two 8s and a 7 from the judges after her quick step to “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” In the audience, BMCC employees wore sparkling diamond t-shirts with “We Quick Step for Cam” across them.
The show also included a disco-themed performance by 18 young “community dancers” and a series of dances by the Utah Ballroom Dance Company’s professional troupe, including a Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Cha Cha, Rumba and Salsa.
As the newest champion, Preus said the mirror ball will go into the trophy case at BMCC. As for tips for anyone asked to participate in the future, her advice was simple:
“Say yes!” she said with a laugh. “It’s a lot of fun.”
