ELY- Emily Roose and Erik Nelson took the top prize during Northern Lakes Arts Association’s “Dancing with the Ely Stars” event held last Friday at Ely’s Historic State Theater.
The fundraising event helps NLAA finance its youth programs and scholarships to NLAA youth activities for kids who would otherwise not be able to attend.
Roose, from Ely, paired with Erik Nelson, who hails from Montana, as they performed an intense and tight swing dance that won the hearts of the judges and the audience.
Nine couples competed for the giant trophy this year and winners were decided by popular vote, with each ticket good for one vote. Attendees could buy extra votes for $1 apiece.
Last year saw dancers perform an eclectic variety including Austrian folk dancing, modern interpretive dance, and even the Charleston. This year most couples stuck to routines with a lot of swing and ballroom dance moves. The exceptions were the disco number, a “post-modern” piece, and a tap dance.
Judge shenanigans
The judges this year were Peta Barrett, Lacey Squier, and one-half of last year’s winning couple, Andrea Strom. Of the three judges, Barrett played the straight man, while Squier, who was the only repeat judge, reprised her grumpy “Russian judge” routine from last year, entertaining the audience.
Strom brought “Iris” with her, the manikin that usually occupies the sidewalk outside of the Brainstorm Bakery and Crapola headquarters, which Strom owns with her husband Brian. Strom allowed Iris to do all of her judging for her. Iris had a sign taped to her hand that read “10,” so every dance Iris judged got top marks.
Other winners
Second place in the competition went to Megan Olson and SunShine Gardner, who performed a contemporary ballroom number remarkable for its athleticism and the couple’s bathing suits.
Third place went to Megan Wind and Jesse Olson for their humorous tap dance number. Olson was one-half of last year’s runner-up couple in his performing debut and this year’s event was just his second time performing and first-time performing tap.
Wind and Olson, wearing identical black fringe dresses and pink feather boas, danced and lip-synced to “I Can’t Do It Alone,” from the musical “Chicago.”
The biggest winner of the evening was the NLAA. With a sell-out audience, the event raised an unofficial total of $8,250, almost twice the haul from last year’s performance.
Sold out
“Dancing with the Ely Stars” is the second NLAA production to sell out this year. Originally booked for the 178-seat Vermilion Fine Arts Theater, the show sold out quickly.
NLAA decided to move the venue to Ely’s Historic State Theater with its 280 seats and the additional tickets sold out in just four days. Because of the demand, NLAA added 20 more seats, which also sold out.
“Honestly, if I could have added 50 more seats, we could have sold them,” NLAA Executive Director Ian Francis Lah told the Timberjay, “but we had maxed out our occupancy for the State Theater.”
Lah added, “It’s truly inspiring to witness Ely’s passion, enthusiasm, and unwavering support for the arts … Our community’s spirit is remarkable. The consecutive sell-out events reaffirm my belief that arts and culture can thrive and support Ely.”