RECIPE FOR LOVE
Amy and John Green were the first-place winners in the 14th annual Dancing with the Steele County Stars fundraiser Saturday night. Staff photo by Karen M. Jorgensen
When it was all over Saturday night, Amy and John Green took top honors at the 14th annual Dancing with the Steele County Stars. The event is a fundraiser for Healthy Seniors of Steele County.
The couple, who danced a foxtrot to “Recipe for Love,” also won the Audience Choice vote.
Altogether, eight couples took part in the dance competition.
In addition to the Greens, Kelly and Dan Boomgarden did a country two step to “Fishing in the Dark,”; Aryanna and Aaron Kruetter did a hustle hip hop to “Club Can’t Handle Us; Emily and Mark Pearson did an east coast swing to “Dance Macbre”; Patricia and Mike Kurtz danced a theatrical swing to “Greased Lightening”; Stephanie and Andrew Thigpen danced an Argentine Tango to “Tanguerra; Jen and Bryan Culligan did a country rumba to “My Maria” and Melissa Olson and Chris Goihl danced a rumba to “Time After Tiime.”
Karen and David Legault were the emcees. Judges for the event were Cameron Hellkapp, Danika Dahl and Allison Kocak. April Dahl of Dahl Dance in Rochester was the choreographer and coach for the dancers.
It was a large crowd that came together at the auditorium at Owatonna High School as Legault announced that more 700 tickets were sold. In addition, there was a silent auction and several raffles before and during the event.
Following the competition event and an intermission, professional dancers Kunai Garde and Danika Dahl performed Diamonds, with a west coast swing and a group of former Dancing with the Steele County Stars participants, Stephanie Dietz-Gill and Nicholas Gill, Jennifer Anderson and Tom Breuer, Laura and Brian Knopik and Naomi Nagel and Leo Avatos danced to Shut Up and Dance.
There was also a moment of silence in honor of Jessica and Thaddeus Tuttle. The couple were scheduled to be the ninth couple to compete, but Thaddeus died unexpectedly the Monday before the dance lessons were to begin.
Healthy Seniors of Steele County is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit agency that provides services to help seniors in need who are 65 and older live healthy, safe and independently in their own homes to prolong the length of spending down into Medical Assistance, and to divert nursing home placements.