Dancing for the Arts returns in April

Anne Halliwell, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Jan. 26—ROCHESTER — Dancing for the Arts swings, cha-chas and waltzes back into Rochester this April.

The Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust's youth fundraiser, in its ninth year, pits local celebrities against one another to benefit youth arts education and programming.

Each celebrity dancer will be paired with a professional from Dahl Dance, and rehearse for 10 weeks before performing live.

This year, Dancing for the Arts will take place Saturday, April 2, at the Mayo Civic Center ballroom.

Tickets become available March 1 at

https://rochartstrust.org

, and previously purchased tickets and sponsorships for the 2020 event, which was canceled, will be honored.

This year's celebrity dancers are:

Alex Mayer — Associated Broker, Counselor Realty of Rochester

Anjali Bhagra, MD — Professor of Medicine, Medical Director for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, Mayo Clinic

Chad Campbell — Executive Director, Boys and Girls Club Rochester

Jacob Malwitz — Producer, Mayo Clinic

Jeff Young — Vice-President, Egan Company

Kelly Patterson — Accounting Executive, Patterson Dahlberg Law Offices

Naura Anderson- Director, Threshold Arts

Ron Hanson — Account Executive, ABC 6 News/KAAL-TV

Zachary Peterson — Musician and Kasson-Mantorville School Board Member

Gary Dahl, April Dahl, Danika Dahl, Cassandra Narr, John Vitek, Julie Sobelewski and Katie Cook will represent Dahl Dance.

The ninth competition will be judged by Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, DMC executive director Lisa Clarke, former general manager of Chateau, CineMagic and Paragon theaters Mitch Stevenson, and Arts and Cultural Trust board member Sharon Gentling. ABC 6 KAAL-TV anchor Laura Lee and 2019 celebrity dancer Christ Fierst will emcee the competition.

The contestants will compete for the DFTA trophy for the most money raised before and during the competition, the Judges' Choice Award, and Most Community Support Award.

Viewers will be able to vote for their favorite celebrity dancer online before and during the event, using OneCause, and donate to the Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust.

Table seating, with 10 viewers per table, will include a catered dinner as well as the event for $125.

See https://rochartstrust.org for more ticketing information.