Local Walla Walla celebrities will take to the Gesa Power House Theatre stage on October 13 at 7:00 p.m., for the Third Annual “Dancing with the W2 Stars,” presented by Banner Bank – a fundraising event for Valley Residential Services.

Local participants will be paired with professional dancers and have a week of rehearsals to learn a ballroom dance routine before the live performance and a judging panel.

Valley Residential Services has enlisted participation from a fantastic lineup of local “celebrities”.

Master of Ceremonies:

• Lawson Knight (Past Champion) – Edward Jones

Dancers:

• Ruthell Martinez – Community Council
• Claudia Garcia – E.K. Riley Investments
• Jan Corn – Impress Salon
• Greer Buchanan – Providence St. Mary Foundation
• Bryan Ponti – Baker Boyer Bank
• Donald Davis – Milton Freewater School District
• Jonathan Grant – Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center
• Brian Gaines – Wall 2 Wall Furniture & Mattress

Judges/Past dancers:

• Chris Coates – Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center
• Terra Luthi – Eritage Resort
• Scott Peters – Columbia Rural Electric Association
• Jodi Worden (Past Champion) – Walla Walla Community College

Community members can give their favorite dancer a leg up in the competition and support the cause by donating money in their name. This will give the dancer extra points and help them in the competition.  All the proceeds from donations, ticket sales, sponsorships, and advertisements from Dancing with the W2 Stars go to benefit Valley Residential Services in Walla Walla, WA. For more information visit www.w2stars.com.

In addition to seeing the Walla Walla Stars dance, the professionals teaching the stars will perform excerpts from their award-winning showcase “Ballroom Fever.” Audiences can expect to see breath-taking lifts, hundreds of costumes, theatrical story lines, and a variety of ballroom dance styles, from the sexy Cuban Salsa to the energetic American Swing to the elegant Viennese Waltz.

The professional dance ensemble are members of the United States National Formation Championship company in both Latin American and Standard ballroom dancing, and their company tours internationally, with more than 100 performances each year.

A free After Party (sponsored by Lloyds Insurance) will follow the performance, with dancing upstairs in the Electric Lounge, until 11:00 p.m.

Valley Residential Services provides personalized support in safe, comfortable, home environments for developmentally disabled individuals, residences for veterans with rehabilitation opportunities, and family assistance services.

Reserved seating tickets ($40 – includes After Party) are available online at www.phtww.org or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

This event receives additional support from: E.K. Riley Investments, Lillie Rice Center, Community Bank, Coldwell Banker First Realtors, Kathy Ruggeri, Academy Mortgage, Michael J. Fluharty, Columbia REA, Outwest Printing and Design, Bob and Jill Zagelow, and Nancy Riggle.