Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
Molly Adams, left, and her dance partner Shelley Richardson performed their version of “Popular” from the Broadway musical “Wicked.” Richardson is a math teacher at Caribou High School, and has competed twice in the DLAS competition. Adams is the daughter of Mark and Jillian Adams and a sophomore at the Caribou High School. She has been dancing with The Maine Dance Academy for 10 years. She also finds time to volunteer at the Halfway Home Pet Rescue.
By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Many have probably seen the television show “Dancing with the Stars,” where celebrity partners test their skills on the dance floor. However, on May 30, at the Caribou Performing Arts Center, a variation of the television show was created, along with some newly discovered local celebrities.
At the sixth annual Dancing Like a Star fund-raising competition on Sunday night, there were nine sets of dance partners all vying for the privilege to have their names engraved on the coveted Dancing like a Star trophy.
The dance duos made their way to the stage to kick off the night with a performance by all the participants involved. Afterward, they made their way backstage to prepare for their individual team performances. Local Caribou High School student Cody Herbert and The Aroostook Republican reporter Natalie De La Garza were tasked with emceeing the event, as they introduced the acts, and kept the audience fully entertained during intermissions.
The dancers were involved in a competition, but the event was more importantly being put on in order to raise funds for the Feed The County program, as well as special projects being undertaken by RSU 39.
One competitor, Julia Harris, a freshman at Caribou High School said she felt all the teams were motivated to not only raise funds for RSU 39, but also to win the event.
“Mainly, I think the competition is a way to raise money to help people in the community,” said Harris. “Although, I think we all wanted to win.”
Harris, who also sang and played the piano, while judges counted votes, explained that she has been dancing for 11 years. When asked if she was at all nervous during her performance with partner Evan Graves, she replied by saying the stage is like her second home now.
“This is my first time dancing in this competition, but I will definitely be doing it throughout my next few years of high school,” said Harris.
The dancers choreographed performances to a wide array of current music, while some also mixed things up with some classic show tunes. After the nine dance teams had performed it was time to tally up the audience votes and determine who would be crowned this year’s Dancing Like a Star champions.
The voting process was unlike any typical vote, as members of the crowd were all given an envelope to cast their votes in. However, in an effort to raise money, they were asked to donate any amount of money they wished, and each dollar donated would count as one vote toward the team the audience member chooses. Each team was designated a number, based on the order in which they performed, and the rest was up to the generosity of the audience.
After all the envelopes were collected, they were taken backstage and carefully counted. The total amount raised during the event was $2,246. The third-place spot went to Karen Ouellette and Jessika Kovach, who performed the Shakira song “Waka Waka.” Second place was awarded to the mother-daughter team of Delaney and Karlyn Williams, who performed their own comical rendition of “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus. First-place in the voting process was Dr. Claude Boma and Sammy Camy.
Dr. Boma lives in Caribou and is employed as a hospitalist at Cary Medical Center. He is from Camaroon, West Africa, and immigrated to the United States in 2001.
Camy is a senior at Caribou High School, she is the daughter of Roldolphe and Susie Camy. In her free time, Samy likes to play soccer and hang out with friends. In the fall, Sammy plans to attend Cornell University, where she will major in business.
The duo performed an esoteric version of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. The lights went down and the colorful dance team came out with neon lights attached to their costumes — a performance that was sure to be a crowd pleaser and ultimately would earn them the trophy..
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
Emma Jandreau, left, and Kenneth Atcheson performed their dance to their own rap mix. The two sported backward baseball hats and entertained the crowd with their comical dance. Atcheson has been an educator for 35 years, 25 of which have been at Caribou High School. Jandreau is a 16 year old junior at CHS and the daughter of Jimmy and Suzanne Jandreau. She has been dancing at TMDA for 13 years.
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
Stephen Burden, left, and Chaya Karunasiri perform their dance with the background music of “Chaya mix-a-lot.” The duo even incorporated a little magic into their act, as Burden is a well-known magician from the Caribou area.
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
Alyssa St. Peter, left, and her dance team partner Dixie Shaw perform their dance to the song “Proud Mary,” during the sixth annual Dancing Like a Star fund-raising competition held at the Caribou Performing Arts Center on June 1. The duo dressed up like nuns, paying homage to the movie “Sister Act.” The two gave a performance that would give even Whoopi Goldberg a run for her money.
Aroostook Republican photo/
Theron Larkins
Delaney Williams strikes a pose at the conclusion of her performance, along with her mother Karlyn. The mother daughter dance duo performed their own comical version of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” The performance had the audience in stitches, as the Williams family danced their way to a second-place finish in the Dancing Like a Star fund-raising competition on June 1.
Aroostook Republican photo/
Theron Larkins
Emcee Cody Herbert is challenged by fellow emcee Natalie De La Garza to perform his own lip synched version of “Oops I did it again” by Britney Spears. Herbert clutches his heart, while giving a spirited heartfelt performance during an intermission at the sixth annual Dancing Like a Star competition at the Caribou Performing Arts Center on June 1.
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
At left, Erica Raymond and her dance partner Nick Jackson performed their dance to the song “Super Bass.” Jackson donned a pink tutu, while the also brightly colored Raymond got the crowd going with her enthusiastic dance moves.
Evan Graves, left, and his dance partner Julia Harris perform their dance to a rap mix. Harris has been dancing for 11 years and recently taught herself to play the piano and sing. She performed three different songs, as she played for the audience during the intermission, while votes were being counted for the sixth annual Dancing Like a Star fund-raiser.
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
Karen Ouellette, left, and Jessika Kovach dressed up in grass skirts and donned large blonde wigs in order to perform their dance to the song “Waka Waka” by Shakira. The two gave a lively performance during the sixth annual Dancing Like a Star fund-raising competition at the Caribou Performing Arts Center on June 1, placing third in the event.
Contributed photo
At right, Dr. Claude Boma and his dance partner Sammy Camy were this year’s Dancing Like a Star champions. The dance duo won the sixth annual DLAS fund-raising event held on June 1 with their neon light-filled performance of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
