Kenyon faculty and staff are brushing off their dancing shoes for the annual “Dancing With the Kenyon Stars” charity event, to be held in Rosse Hall on Friday, Dec. 5, at 8:30 p.m.
The annual event pairs students from the Ballroom Dance Club with staff and faculty members who learn a dance over the course of the semester. The pairs perform in front of a panel of judges and students, who vote on the best dance of the night.
For some participants, the event is a high-profile initiation into Kenyon.
“I thought it would be a good way to get involved with the community since I’m new,” said Jarrett Tate, senior assistant director of multicultural admissions, who started working at Kenyon this summer. “What better way to get involved than getting on stage and dancing in front of a large group of people?”
Tate is partnering with film and political science major Mia Barnett ’15 for a swing number. Others dancing this year are Johanna Klinman ’15 with President Sean Decatur; Marc Ferraro ’17 with Renee Romano, affiliated scholar in history; Luke Kresslein ’15 with Erin O’Neill, head softball coach; Alex Ritter-Jenkins ’17 with Sheryl Hemkin, associate professor of chemistry; and Ali Pratt ’17 with Lee Schott, assistant director of career development.
In addition to providing entertainment, “Dancing with the Kenyon Stars” serves as a fundraiser for the Winter Sanctuary Homeless Shelter of Mount Vernon. Last year’s event, featured in the video above, raised $1,079 dollars for the shelter.
“My partner has been very patient with me,” Tate said. “We focus on just having fun. At the end of the day, it’s for a good cause.”