Teachers hit the floor

Staton Elementary educators pair up with professionals for dance contest

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First there was "Dancing with the Stars." Now there's a Las Vegas version -- Dancing with the Staton Stars.

The twist on ABC's hit reality show was the theme for Staton Elementary School's annual fundraiser on March 17. Teachers were paired with professionals and took to the dance floor for a lively competition set to Latin music.

The event had the female teachers dressed in sparkling dresses performing moves usually only attempted by advanced dancers.

The male teachers also got to dress up and show off their own smooth moves.

Mona Alvarez, a fourth-grade teacher, took the competition one step higher when she was lifted in the air to a horizontal position, then twirled around the dance floor by partner Eddie Guerra.

"When she jumped up and was being spun around, I was afraid she'd get dizzy," said 10-year-old Janey Homm, one of Alvarez's students.

The teachers admitted to butterflies before their own performances.

"My biggest fear was messing up and stepping on my partner's toes," said Pamela Kruse, school aide.

The Staton competitors spent the past four weeks training with instructors from Delgado Dance Studio, 4220 S. Grand Canyon Road.

First-grade teacher Jennifer Pritchard said she wasn't even aware of the audience because she was so focused on the movements.

Fresh from the dance floor, fourth-grade teacher John Ballistrino said he and his wife only danced occasionally before this but he'd take her out dancing "as soon as I catch my breath."

The evening was not without its moments of panic.

"Ten minutes before it started, they told all of us the music we rehearsed to all this time (wasn't available) and we had to dance to a different song," said Richard Shively, who did the jitterbug with professional dancer Tamaki Bawden. "I was out there thinking, 'Just concentrate on the music so I get the beat right.' "

He must have concentrated because the judges, which included students Shane Cashin and Hallie Appleyard, gave resounding scores. The highest possible score from any one judge was a 10.

To make the evening even more special, television's "Dancing with the Stars" finalist Tony Dovoloni was one of the judges for the seven competing couples.

The event also featured a silent auction. Prizes included free round-trip airfare on Allegient Airlines, show tickets to Cirque Du Soleil productions and "Mamma Mia!," swim lessons, jewelry, patio speakers and, of course, dance lessons. A raffle offered a chance at three dozen oversized gift baskets. T-shirts promoting the event sold for a $1.

"Normally, our spring fundraiser is a teacher basketball game," said Sheryl Best, one of the coordinators. "But we didn't exactly get an enthusiastic response. So we came up with the idea of a dance."

After checking into the logistics necessary to pull it off, the school's parent-teacher organization presented the suggestion to faculty and staff and left behind a sign-up sheet if anyone was interested.

"When we came back, every teacher had signed on," Best said.

Pritchard and dance partner Tony Delgado won first prize with a tango performance. Second prize went to Alvarez and partner Guerra for their version of the merengue. Third prize was awarded to Ron Herz, drama specialist, and his waltz partner Pamela Mitchell.

Besides the seven teachers involved in the dance competition, roughly two dozen other teachers got to dance as a group to 1970s classics "Stayin' Alive" and "YMCA."

The evening also included a dozen Staton students wearing 1950s-era clothes and dancing to "Greased Lightning." There also was a pro-on-pro dance demonstration.

The night ended with a call to the audience to join the pros and teachers in the "Casper Slide" line dance.

The PTO netted more than $11,000 from the event. The money will be used to furnish classrooms with supplies.