Drew Sweeney isn't sure what the dance he'll perform March 20 is called.
"They might as well call it the co-pay because I'll end up going to the doctor sometime," he said.
Sweeney is a manager at Hickory Springs by day. By night, he's a dancer in training.
So are five other Hickory-area professionals who are hoofing it with local students in this year's Dancing for the Stars.
The performance features high-flying flips and lofty lifts, show-stopping slides and every-thing audiences have been trained t o expect in t he era of TV's "Dancing With the Stars." Among the s teps six couples will perform: the Samba, Rumba, Cha Cha, East Coast Swing and a disco number.
The evening also includes dinner, a cash bar, student vocal performances, silent and live auctions and the opportunity for everyone to dance.
Just don't expect to outshine the contestants. They have been practicing since January.
The students, veterans of Clater-Kaye dance classes, serve as the teachers for the all-amateur troupe of local folks.
Sometimes, they do so at their own risk.
Sweeney, 41, is pretty sure his missteps have detached two or three toenails from his 16-year-old partner's feet. Sara Wimmer is teaching Sweeney. They practice three to four nights a week.
"She's no joke," he said. "She's made me look tolerable.… I have two daughters and a wife, so I take instruction from females very well."
Competitors will be up against a returning champion. Josh Drake, 17, won Dancing for the Stars last year with partner Penny Black. This year, he and Amber Black make up a disco duo.
Expect a lot of lifts and a very cool floor slide.
"And our outfits are the best," Drake said.
Lisa Sigmon, 45, gets flipped over the shoulder of a 14-yearold. She signed on to Cha Cha with a student who is the same age as her youngest son. Sigmon has been doing a lot of yoga to work up to the dance.
She can hardly complain about her bruises.
Her partner, Anthony Schweighardt, is recovering from stress fractures in his foot, although she swears it's not from lifting her.
The event raises money for Clater-Kaye Theatreworks' upcoming shows, which include "A Chorus Line" and "The Wizard of Oz." A typical show costs about $15,000 to stage, said Lesia Kaye, the executive director at Clater-Kaye.
But the productions are necessary training for students who want to make a living on the stage.
"We really go all out and do them well so the kids can really shine," Kaye said. "All I want to do is help prepare them so that they have a leg up on the road to their dreams."
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