We all love Dancing with the Stars, but have you ever wished you could sit stage-side and watch it live? Well, the Riley Children’s Foundation is hosting an event that might be even better than taking on a ballroom on TV. Their upcoming Reason to Dance, Reason for Hope event is a ballroom dance competition modeled after DWTS that raises money for the Riley Hospital at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis.
The Riley Hospital is nationally ranked in 10 out of 10 pediatric specialties by US News & World report and is Indiana’s only comprehensive children’s hospital. The hospital takes on more than 300,000 patient visits each year! This event raises money to help families seeking aid in treating seriously injured and ill children as well as making children comfortable when they are under the hospitals care and funding research into treatment for life-threatening illnesses.
During the competition, local celebrities will be paired up with professional dance teachers from ballroom dance studios in the area. Together they will learn a ballroom and freestyle dance routine to perform at the event in the Indiana Roof Ballroom. They will be scored by three judges that will determine what awards they win. Once the competition is over and the winners have been announced, this wonderful evening will end with open dancing!
The celebrity dancers for the evening include Jason Basso, Naro Biswas, Lahapa Brown, Alexa Green, Mitchell McKinney, Thadeus Starsiak, Charles Torwudzo Jr., Dr. BeAnn Younker. They have been paired with local dancers Suzi DeSante, Kathleen Ilo, Jonas Kazlauskas, Monica Lung, Gert Roslender, Scott Shook, Christopher Spalding, and Gena Stamets.
But how do you attend?
Reason to Dance, Reason for Hope will take place on Friday, March 8, 2019, in the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Attendees will spend the evening participating in a silent auction, enjoying a three-course dinner, and watching the ballroom competition. All proceeds will go to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health located in Indianapolis, so make sure to get your tickets and join in on the fun!
To attend Reason to Dance, Reason for Hope and learn more about the Riley Hospital, visit www.reasontodance.org.