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Wins and More Wins for Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte to Benefit the Pink House!

The lights, the music, the costumes, the judges' scores, the cheering crowd . . . and spectacular dancing! This year's Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte to Benefit the Pink House had it all and then some--all focused on raising funds to help Carolina Breast Friends serve women and men with breast cancer.

Brimming with glitz, glamour and fancy footwork, the event dazzled the 1000+ people who turned out for the two performances Saturday, April 29^th, at Blumenthal's McGlohan Theater. Said audience member Ryan Reamer, "I expected a fun show, but what I experienced blew me away! There was such professionalism and also such heart. I came away entertained but also ready to tell everyone about the support happening at the Pink House."

Said another audience member, "It moved me that so many of the dancers, judges and the emcees had personal connections to breast cancer or other cancer. That added a touching element to a great show."

The whole event, in fact, was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Teresa Flippo-Morton, a beloved surgeon who treated many breast cancer Survivors before she, herself, died of cancer in 2015. Her husband, Dr. Duncan Morton, Jr, was one of the Stars who danced Saturday, receiving thunderous applause at the conclusion of his number.

The show is modelled after the popular Dancing with the Stars television show. Local Stars, paired with professional dancers, learn and perform a number that is then scored by judges from the competitive dance world while audience members vote for their favorite Star by making donations to Carolina Breast Friends. Each dollar donated is equivalent to one vote. Video clips of each of the stars precede their dance, sharing the motivation that goes into each performance.

Thirteen Stars took the stage at this year's show: Melissa Countryman, Alexandra Naranjo-Myrick, Dr. Michael Robinson, Amy Blumenthal, Melissa Hickok, Dr. Elizabeth Rostan, Dr. Duncan Morton, Jr, Keith Alyea, Katie Tyler, Leigh Goodwyn, Suzanne Cafferty-Ross, Rachel Brown and Michelle Horton. Page and Jake Fehling emceed the afternoon dress-rehearsal performance, and WBTV's Molly Grantham and NFL star running back DeAngelo Williams were the masters of ceremony at the big event that night.

Audience members agreed there was something to love about every performance. Shared Kathleen Malfy, "My favorite performances of the night were the more mature women who danced. Katie (Tyler) was so elegant. Suzanne (Cafferty-Ross) was pure joy on the stage. And Amy Blumenthal stunned me with the lifts she and her pro did!"

So who won? There were two mirror ball trophies awarded--one for the top fundraiser and one for highest scorer from the judges. This year BOTH of those awards went to Leigh Goodwyn, founding partner of LeighDuex dorm and home décor company! Leigh received the highest scores from judges, closely followed by Michele Horton and Keith Alyea. Leigh was also the top fundraiser, raising more than $72,000 going into the event--followed by Duncan Morton and Amy Blumenthal who raised more than $67,000 and $55,000 respectively. But the story doesn't end there because donations are still rolling in from fans and friends of each of the Stars! All told, this year's event has raised $530,000 (and counting!) for Carolina Breast Friends!

Clearly then, the real winners are all the women and men we serve every day at the Pink House and through our outreach to area hospitals and doctors' offices. Now that's something to dance about!

- PJY

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Special thanks to all of the event sponsors and the planning committee for Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte to Benefit the Pink House: Melonee Hostetler, Claire Talley, Felipe Gonzalez Edmiston and Shana Fox. Felipe and Claire are the co-creators of the event, and Felipe is also the director of the show.

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