Deb Schubert (Health Care Professional Marketing, Procter & Gamble) and dance pro James Branham (Arthur Murray Dance Studio -- West Chester) were crowned the champions of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s sixteenth annual Dancing for the Stars on Saturday, April 21, 2024, at the Music Hall Ballroom. Scott Allgyer (Owner, Studio 900) took home the Fundraising Champion Award as the celebrity who raised the most money for the event through ticket sales and donations – more than $17,000.

 

The team of Schubert/Branham and second-place winners Alex Johns (Real Estate Agent, Coldwell Banker) and Bonita Brockert (Independent Dance Instructor) both received perfect scores of 40 (out of 40). The ultimate winner between the two perfect-scoring dance teams was decided by the audience vote via an applause meter.

 

Dr. Hali Junger (Veterinarian, Newport Aquarium) and Josh Tilford (Dance Manor) took third place.

 

As the Cincinnati Arts Association’s largest annual fundraiser, the popular event raised more than $70,000 in support of the organization’s acclaimed arts education programs, including the Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally run high school arts scholarship competition.

 

The other three dance pairs included:   

• Scott Allgyer (Owner, Studio 900; Dancing for the Stars 2024 Fundraising Champion) and Maura Garuccio (Independent Dance Instructor)
• Dr. Magdalena Kerschner (Board certified Anesthesiologist and Aesthetic Medicine Physician;  Founder, Victory Wellness and Medspa – Cincinnati, OH and Naples, FL) and Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
• Zack Thornton (Director, Advisory Services, Fidelity Investments) and Melissa Vaughn (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)

 

Inspired by the hit TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars 2024 featured six Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program at which the audience vote and judges scores propelled the winners to victory. The competitive dance theme for the evening was Broadway, and each dance pair had 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges. 

 

Event emcees were Chris O’Brien & Janeen Coyle (former hosts of “Married with Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM). The competition judges were Douglas Beal (Independent Dance Instructor), Sebastian Castillo (General Manager, Prime Cincinnati; Dancing for the Stars 2022 Dance Champion), Bret Schneider, (Owner, WOW Windowboxes; Dancing for the Stars 2022 Fundraising Champion), and Britton Spitler as Brock Leah Spears (Project Manager – ADM; Dancing for the Stars 2023 Dance Champion).       

 

In addition, Dancing for the Stars 2024 featured:

• Dinner-by-the-Bite provided by DelightMore, eat well Celebrations and Feasts, Jeff Thomas Catering, Moerlein Lager House, Prime Cincinnati, Primo Italian Steakhouse, Skyline, Street City Pub.

• Dance music by popular DJ and 103.5 WGRR personality JD Hughes.

• Open dancing before and after the competition.

• Entertaining exhibition dances by talented Dancing for the Stars dance pros.
• An inspiring video about the Overture Awards, featuring interviews with the six student winners of the 2024 Overture Awards finals competition.

• Two big screens that featured live video of the competition and engaging video introductions of the stars and pros (interviews and rehearsal footage) before their dances.
• Humorous, astute, and supportive comments from the Dancing for the Stars panel of judges.
• Exceptionally responsive, raucous, and energetic audience reactions, which included large cheering sections holding signs with various messages in support of their favorite stars.

 

Dance and Song Selections (based on the theme of Broadway)

• Deb Schubert / James Branham: Cha Cha Cha – “Lady Marmalade” from Moulin Rouge! The Musical
• Alex Johns / Bonita Brockert: Combination of dance styles – “Style” from the film musical Robin and the 7 Hoods
• Dr. Hali Junger / Josh Tilford: East Coast Swing / Lindy Hop – “You Can't Stop the Beat” (Glee version) from Hairspray
• Scott Allgyer / Maura Garuccio: Rumba – “Seasons of Love” from Rent
• Dr. Magdalena Kerschner / Jeremy Mainous: Rumba – “Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)” from Damn Yankees
• Zack Thornton / Melissa Vaughn: Hustle (Disco) – “A Friend Like Me” (Electro Swing Remix) from Aladdin

 

Event Committee:  Dr. Tracey Skale (honorary chair), Doreen Beatrice, Michael Betz, Amal Daoud, Terry Foster, Ginger Loftin, and Rosemary Schlachter.

Presenting Sponsor: TriHealth

 

Event Sponsors: Accent on Cincinnati, Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Arthur Murray – West Chester, James Branham, Bonita Brockert, Dance Manor, Maura Garuccio, Harlan Graphics, Jeremy Mainous, Punky’s Pixels,  Josh Tilford, Melissa Vaughn

 

Libations Sponsors:  Heidelberg Distributing, Ohio Valley Wine & Beer, Party Source, Pepsi

 

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

Cincinnati Arts Association’s Education & community engagment Programs

CAA's Education & Community Engagement department cultivates diverse, inclusive, and accessible arts engagements, seeking to remove barriers preventing arts participation. Committed to a practice of antiracism, the Education and Community Engagement department encourages the use of CAA venues, develops diverse arts supporters, and fosters an appreciation and understanding of diverse arts disciplines, while encouraging and supporting practicing arts educators and administrators, audiences, and aspiring artists.  

 

SchoolTime presents a series of programs that feature nationally recognized artists at the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Artists on Tour program brings a variety of arts experiences directly to schools, community centers, and other organizations. The finest local teaching artists in the region enhance learning with unique programs that vary in culture and art form.

 

The Arts in Healing Initiative integrates the performing and visual arts in medical and community healthcare settings and other non-traditional settings to promote community wellness and encourage the community to explore the arts as an active part of their healing and ongoing wellness.   

 

The Overture Awards is a program that recognizes and rewards excellence in the arts among Greater Cincinnati students in grades 9-12. Its mission is to encourage arts education as an integral part of a student’s academic experience and to create an environment that encourages training in, and appreciation of, the arts. The Overture Awards is the area’s largest solo arts competition and offers awards in six artistic disciplines: creative writing, dance, instrumental music, theatre, visual art, and vocal music.

 

Now in its 28^th year, the Overture Awards has granted more than $1,000,000 to youth and arts educators in the Tri-state region. The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce program).

 

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves more than 600,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies, including Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony/Pops Orchestras, May Festival, and Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati, presented by TriHealth. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than one million youth and adults.