DWTS

DWTS was my very first project that truly lit a fire under my culo (butt in Italian).

What is JLB DWTS?

The Junior League of Beaumont puts on a fantastic fundraiser called Dancing with the Stars of Southeast Texas.  All the funds raised support the Junior League’s many community projects, CAF grants, and scholarships! The JLB asks a variety of people from Southeast Texas area to participate as dancers(Stars) for the event. Each dance couple is partnered with a choreographer/dance studio. There are 8 STAR couples competing for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. The team who raises the most funds through votes wins the Mirror Ball. The other award is Fan Favorite, which is voted on after all of the 8 performances the night of DWTS.

Will you be a STAR?

I will never forget the phone call I received from my friend Carly. She asked me to be a dancer in the 2022 DWTS. I was honestly flattered that the JL wanted me to represent them as the active member in DWTS. But the idea of doing this in front of 800 plus people more importantly, my closest family and friends scared me to death. I’d be absolutely nuts to say yes. I visited with Thomas about all the logistics and prayed long and hard. I started thinking….could this be some me time I so desperately needed? DWTS would be such a fun experience and a way to raise money for my community. Something crazy was pulling me in the direction to take this chance and get out of my comfort zone.

So I said yes and never looked back.

Team #6

Thankfully I was paired up with Peter, the BEST partner ever! Peter’s positivity and confidence helped us become the best team. Peter and I both had very limited dance experience, so we hit the jackpot with our choreographers, Haley and Kiley! My dance background consisted of dance for 3 years in Elementary school and some middle school cheerleading and tumbling. Haley and Kylie, who are both talented and super sweet, choreographed a fiery latin number that was just under 3 minutes long. They also helped me find my sassy costume that came in the day of the big event! They were incredibly patient and challenged us with some tough choreography and lifts.   We practiced multiple nights a week for 6 weeks leading up to the big night.

The BIG Night

All our hard work paid off! I got most of my nerves out the same morning during dress rehearsal and thanks to a few glasses of champagne. Dancing with Peter on stage was a blast! The audience was wonderful and very encouraging throughout the performance. This was a night I will never forget!  All 8 couples did a fantastic job and raised so much money for our community! We didn’t come home with the Mirror Ball, but we did get voted as Fan Favorites for 2022 DWTS! It might’ve had something to do with Peter losing his shirt….

Lastly…

Win or lose, its safe to say this got me 100% out of my comfort zone in the best way possible.  One of my main reasons for saying yes to DWTS was to encourage my boys to be fearless when confronted with a challenge. Little did I know, DWTS was just the first of many projects to come!