By Barb Scott
Staff Writer
For those of you who chose not to attend the March 13 presentation of Dancing Like a Star, a Caribou High School Class of 2012 fundraiser — you have no idea what you missed. Given that there is still snow on the ground, the temperatures not exactly Spring-like, fuel prices rising like the moon and tax day is just around the corner, you missed the opportunity to, even for just an evening, forget that your mortgage payment is coming due or that your root canal was the next day. Everyday life and the challenges it brings can weigh heavy on us all but attending this fund-raising event, getting a good dose of laughter and witnessing the amazing talent that is “home grown” would have definitely made things better.
Dancing to “Hip Hip, Chin Chin” Paige Small, CHS student and Daniel Fishman, CHS staff member, caught the audience’s attention as they displayed their dancing poise during a very classy performance.
When the nine dance teams, made up of students paired with teachers, school staff members and community members took to the CPAC stage all vying for the audience-generated votes that would result in them being named the 2011 Dancing Like a Star winners, it was pure entertainment at its best.
With Duncan Flynn and Kjetil Rossignol, the evening’s hosts, sharing their charm and humor or just “killing time,” with their audience, between the dancing-delights performances, the near-full house certainly got its money’s worth on March 13.
A special performance was provided by Rossignol, an amazingly accomplished pianist, as he entertained the audience at the end of the dancing performances while the votes were being counted. The power of music is well-known but anyone who has ever had the pleasure of hearing Kjetil play the piano, will say that the energy that erupts is truly something they won’t soon forget.
At a time most news media is filled with distressing words and pictures, when small towns are struggling to survive poor economic conditions and good-paying jobs are few and far between, the residents (young and old alike) of the Caribou community have once again proven that their hometown is unique, a place where individuals don’t hesitate to show their support for one another, whether it be with food drives or gracing the CPAC stage endeavoring to raise money for a high school class.
From the “Dancing Machine(s)” Kathy Mazzuchelli and Demarre Corriveau to the “Joyful, Joyful” dancing of Andrew Kirby and Chad Caverhill, to Bill Schofield and Sarae Sager’s answer to the question, “Don’t Cha,” the evening‘s performers were all talented winners. From disco to soft-shoe, from hip hop to jazz and beyond, the variety of dance styles and music held something for everyone — even a little boogey — no wait, that was part of joke.
Participants in the fundraiser were: Kathy Mazzuchelli and Demarre Corriveau; Jessica Bell and Annie Collins; Sharon Pelletier and Delaney Williams; Susan Keaton and Emma Duplissie-Cyr; Jessica Umel and Sammy Camy; Rita Zbylut and Meredith Sleeper; Bill Schofield and Sarae Sager; Daniel Fishman and Paige Small; and Andrew Kirby and Chad Caverhill.
The Dancing Like a Star trophy now bears the names of the three couples who have captured the title. They include, Ryan Deprey and Victoria Wong, 2009 winners; for 2010, Tyler Pyburn and Abby Small and now the 2011 winners Bill Schofield and Sarae Sager.
This year’s Dancing Like a Star raised $3,313 for the CHS Class of 2012. This amount reflects ticket sales and the generous (and serious) dollars given in votes.
