Sarasota Contemporary Dance holds its own Dancing with the Stars

Well into its 18th season, Sarasota Contemporary Dance held a gala at  Universal Flight Training at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, which was fittingly called, "Come Fly With Us" and was similar in theme and spirit to the hit television show, "Dancing With the Stars."  With perfect weather on March 2, the 4th annual benefit got underway in the hangar with cocktails, appetizers and dinner enjoyed around the airplanes.

Five local men who are not necessarily known for their dancing prowess were paired with six SCD dancers to compete for the coveted prize. This year's teams were Juliana Cristina and David Koffman, Monessa Salley and Shak Teymuri, Jordan Leonard and Gianni Valenti, Samantha Miller and Ronnie Shugar, and Xuan Danciger and Mark Smith.

How was the winner chosen? Because this was a fundraiser for SCD, which is a nonprofit entity, the winners were chosen by votes — each vote cost $1, and this year's first place team was Samantha Miller and Ronnie Shugar, who received almost 30,000 votes, and happily accepted their prize, which consisted of one large trophy.

Founded by Leymis Bolaños Wilmott and Rachael Inman, SCD is a professional dance company specializing in contemporary dance performance and education. Funds raised go to supporting the organization's mission of providing education and entertainment to  audiences through contemporary experiences with a community-minded voice.