Pat Ingalls
Dancing with the PebbleCreek Stars returns in January as professional dancing coaches pair up with six local volunteers to display their newly acquired choreography and costuming in competition for PebbleCreek’s version of a mirror-ball trophy.
The fifth annual event takes place Friday, January 29 beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a no-host cash bar and hearty appetizers in the Tuscany Falls foyer between the Chianti Room and Ballroom. At 7:00 p.m. audience members waltz into the ballroom to their reserved tables, arranged around a dance floor, where they can cheer for their favorite competitors. Video highlights of each competitor’s rehearsals are shown, the dance pairs perform and audience voting, combined with a panel of judges, determine the winner.
Ticket sales for this popular event begin Thursday, November 12 at 8:00 a.m. in the Renaissance Theatre with any remaining tickets sold in the Activities Office Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tickets, at $40 each, are limited to four per person for tables of 12. As one table is filled, the next ticket sold is seated at the next table, until it is filled and so on, in sequence.
Planning and preparation began well in advance. During spring and summer, Activities Office staff accepted nominations for competitors, randomly drew names and confirmed each participant’s commitment. During the week before the event each PebbleCreek dancer will work with a professional coach, direct from the Utah School of Dance in Lehi to master his or her assigned ballroom-dance routine.
The 2016 cast of competitors is:
Ane Aune: From San Jose, California, Ane and her husband of 41 years, Chris, are natives of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and have one daughter. A former city property assessor and now Unit 10’s representative and KareBear coordinator, Ane enjoys bocce, studying Spanish and a variety of art classes such as pencil sketching, watercolor, ceramics and gourds.
Brian Cate: A 12 year PebbleCreek employee, Brian works as Beverage Manager at Eagle’s Nest. Married to Annie. Grew up with seven siblings. Enjoys golf, hunting and fishing and dreams of owning a cabin in northern Arizona.
Rich Elliott: From Union, Kentucky. Currently employed as Western Regional Manager for SABIC, Rich’s career has included 28 years at General Electric from Michigan to Florida to Ohio. Married to Bonnie for 41 years; they have two children and six grandchildren. Enjoys playing multiple sports such as softball, golf and pickleball and traveling the world.
Chuck Freeman: From Scottsdale; former owner of a corrugated-packaging company in Kansas City, Missouri. Father of five, grandfather of six and great-grandfather of two. Enjoys playing golf and watching sports. Past travels have left him “content with staying home.”
Donna Gray: An elementary teacher who later switched careers to manage a travel agency. She and Joe, her husband of 49 years, have two children and four grandchildren and relocated to PebbleCreek 16 years ago. Enjoys yoga, colored-pencil drawing, playing bridge and performing onstage in many types of PebbleCreek productions.
Julie Walmsley: From Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, this former parks and recreation director enjoys a wide variety of athletic endeavors from bicycling to hiking to swimming and yoga. Married to Mark; has two children and four grandchildren. Has traveled on five continents.