Dancing for the Arts Raises Funds for the Arts

Dancing for the Arts raises more than $61,000 for Piedmont Arts

After countless hours of rehearsals and hard work, seven couples took the stage on Saturday, April 16, to compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy in the third Dancing for the Arts competition, a fundraiser for Piedmont Arts. 

All the aches and pains, time away from family, and fundraising efforts, paid off for the 14 dancers and for Piedmont Arts, as each couple danced their assigned and freestyle dances for an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 800 at Martinsville High School. Once all the votes were tabulated and money was counted, the winners were announced by Emcee Will Gravely. The winning couple were Samantha Mahoney and Joshua Eanes, who danced a sensual Rumba to John Legend’s All of Me, and an upbeat jazz routine to Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation. 

Mahoney, Eanes and all the other dancers not only worked hard to perfect their dance routines, they drummed up votes by getting donations for Piedmont Arts. Each $1 raised by a dancer, netted votes for the couples. This year’s Dancing for the Arts raised the most money to date, over $61,000.

DFTA 2016 winners Joshua Eanes, coach Kendra Arnold, and Samantha Mahoney

Funds raised go to help Piedmont Arts continue to fulfill its mission of inspiring and engaging the community through visual arts, performing arts and educational outreach. “I was blown away by the amount of money raised by this year’s event,” said Executive Director Kathy Rogers. “I can’t express enough how much Piedmont Arts and its Board of Directors appreciate the efforts of all the dancers and their coaches. This is a big commitment of time and effort, and it is often taking people outside their comfort zone. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard for Piedmont Arts and its efforts to bring high quality arts programming in Martinsville-Henry County.”