Time to Dance with Your Favorite Local Stars

TORRINGTON, Conn. - March 18, 2016 - PRLog -- Five local favorites have been tirelessly working on perfecting their routines, and thanks to the help of their talented instructors, they're ready to show off their best dance moves.

Miss Connecticut 2014 Ashley Montgomery, Torrington Savings Bank Senior Vice President of Residential and Consumer Lending Jeff Geddes, Julie Phillips-Hall from J. Phillips-Hall Insurance of Winsted, Litchfield First Selectman Leo Paul, and Jennifer Johnson of the Northwest CT YMCA will compete, alongside their coach/dance partners from Dance 'n Beyond (Patricia Pepen), Hartford Ballroom (Lisa Spiro and Nate Evans), Steps In Time (Eddie Salgado), and the Arthur Murray Dance Studio (Crisen McKenzie), for the 2016 "Dancing with the Northwest CT Stars" crown.

"Dancing with the Northwest CT Stars" takes place on Saturday, April 2 at Chatterley's Banquet Facility, 371 Pinewoods Road, Torrington. The festivities begin at 5 p.m.

While she admits there's still a little fine tuning that needs to be done before taking center stage, Phillips-Hall is loving every minute of the preparation alongside her instructor, Salgado, from Steps In Time.

"What a great experience learning the Tango and Swing at Steps In Time. Eddie is very heartfelt and a wonderful new friend, and more importantly, an excellent instructor. I would recommend Eddie to anyone who is interested in learning ballroom dancing," Phillips-Hall said. "It will be a great evening for all. I'm confident we'll do a good job or at least be very entertaining since our competitors are half my age! I'm thankful for having been asked to participate in this event and I would highly recommend anyone to step up to the challenge next year."

Tickets are $55 and include Hors d'oeuvres, dinner, dancing and a show. Tickets can be purchased by visiting http://www.nwctY.org/dancing, or by calling Felice Axelrod at (860) 489-3133 x 500. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Call for more information.

All money raised from the event goes directly to support the Y's charitable services. In 2015, over $311,500 in financial aid was awarded to assure that children and families could participate and benefit in the Y's programs and offerings. In total, 818 individuals received financial assistance a year ago. The Y is committed to continuing to build strong communities through programs and initiatives that specifically target Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility.

"Since 1887, our Y has been reaching out to those most in need in our communities," Greg Brisco, Northwest CT YMCA's CEO, said. "From providing housing, youth counseling and literacy programs to summer camps, youth sports and child care, our goal is not to exclude anyone due to financial constraints."

Geddes, like all the contestants and their partners, is excited to strut his stuff, and to do so for such a good cause.

"I'm very excited about the NWCT Dancing with the Stars competition. I feel like I won the lottery being partnered with Patricia Pepen from Dance n' Beyond. She's an amazing dancer, fun and she's been a fabulous teacher," Geddes said. "My confidence is very high due to Patricia's efforts. We've been practicing twice a week for a couple of months now, so at this point it is a matter of fine tuning our routines. Our wardrobe is set and we're ready to crush the competition - all in good fun and for a very worthy cause."

Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, - who took home the top prize at the inaugural "Dancing with the Northwest CT Stars" event a year ago - Prudence Sloan of the "Dancing Duo," and owner and director of the Vintage Dance Society, Marc Casslar, will serve as the "Dancing with the Northwest CT Stars" judges.