Tickets are going fast and spaced is limited for Stars Dance for the Arts. At 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Kinston Community Council for the Arts, eight couples will showcase their dancing skills. At the end of the evening, one couple will be named the 2013 champions of Stars Dance for the Arts.
While entertaining and delighting the guests, the couples will also be promoting the art of ballroom dance to raise funds for a variety of community programs and activities sponsored by the Community Council for the Arts.
Tickets, available for purchase at the arts council, are $50/person and include event entry, heavy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and one vote. Sponsorships levels range from $2,500 to $100 and include various amenities at each level.
Voting is available now on the website www.dancekcca.com. You may vote for one or more couples as many times as you’d like for $10/vote. Voting online also allows you to monitor the votes for each couple and ensure that you receive the latest breaking news throughout the event. Online voting ends at midnight, Jan. 10.
The Free Press will continue to profile participating couples leading up to the event. Among the eight couples are Kelly Taylor and Bill Connolly performing a contemporary Charleston and Anna Whitlow and Carl Younger dancing the Samba.
Taylor is a native of Snow Hill, a graduate of Greene Central High School and North Carolina Wesleyan College with a degree in psychology and religion. Previously employed with Wells Fargo Advisors, she is currently a homemaker, a yoga teacher and a stay-at-home mom. Married to hubby Larry Taylor, they are the parents of Merryn, age 5, Luke, 2, and Thad, 2.
Taylor is actively involved with the Children’s Ministry at Grace Fellowship Church and the Toloha Partnership (for clean water) in Toloha, Tanzania. She also serves on the Education Committee for the Community Council for the Arts. Her hobbies include reading, camping, yoga and spending time at the beach with her family. Her children’s smiles are her greatest joy in life. In addition to homeschooling her daughter, she spends time practicing yoga and enjoys eating sushi.
Connolly is a native of Madison who came east to attend East Carolina University and remained “down east” to become one of the most active members of the Kinston community. Previously employed with Evans and Associates, Bill is currently a commercial risk consultant with First Citizens Insurance Services, a position he has had for the past nine years.
Married to his wife Deb, they are the parents of two children, Will, 12, and Lexi, 9. He attends St. Mary’s Episcopal Church where he serves as a vestry member. He is also chair of the Kinston-Lenoir Parks & Recreation Commission and is an executive board member for the Ronald McDonald House in Eastern North Carolina.
Connolly is passionate about “good beer, good friends and good times!” He says his greatest joys in life are his wife and his children –“they are awesome!”
Whitlow is native of Kinston and a 2001 graduate of Kinston High School. She studied dance at Studio 86 and Dance, Etc. She was a member of the KHS Ovation Show Troupe where she served as captain during her senior year. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance from East Carolina University in 2005.
Whitlow has performed in various festivals statewide in addition to the Regional/SERBA in Knoxville, Tenn. She taught at studios from Greensboro to New Bern. Previously employed with Nan’s School of Dance in Greensboro, Anna has been a dance instructor with the Greenville Civic Ballet for the past 10 years. Certified in pilates, she incorporates pilates into some of her dance classes.
Her hobbies include cooking, hiking and traveling. She is a volunteer for senior projects and a licensed zumba instructor. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Younger is a native of Winston-Salem. After graduating from R.J. Reynolds High School, he attended UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar and graduated with honors in economics. He subsequently earned his MBA and law degrees from UNC where he was a Morehead Fellow and Deans Scholar. He practiced law with Brooks Pierce in Greensboro, with Texasgulf in Raleigh for almost 20 years, with DSM Pharmaceuticals in Greenville, and with Lawyers Mutual in Cary. He is currently assists International Farming Corporation in Kinston.
Younger is married to the former Tempe Parham. They have five children and five grandchildren. His greatest joys in life are his wife children and grandchildren.
Younger is actively involved in various North Carolina and community organizations. He is current chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, a board member of the Kinston Rotary Club, and a member and treasurer of the Lenoir Memorial Hospital board of directors. He serves on the Investment Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association and as a member of the Bar Cares Board. His hobbies include golf and travel, but he is most passionate about Carolina sports.