Getting Ready For The Big Show: Meet The Contestants For RCDC

Rome is buzzing with excitement for the upcoming Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge on Aug. 3.

The competition is a fundraising event held by the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia. Proceeds from the event go towards funding the center and the work it does throughout the community.

Ten teams will perform and a panel of four judges will give out first and second place People’s Choice Awards and Judges’ Choice Awards.

The upcoming event will feature performances from local celebrities, including business owners, doctors, teachers, city employees, a radio show host, and a former city commissioner.

Meet the teams:

TEAM ASKEW

Team Askew brings community activism to the stage in the upcoming Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge.

Bonny Askew and his daughter Morgan Askew’s routine for the upcoming event remains a mystery, but Bonny said the performance will be good.

Soft-spoken but direct, Bonny has been a name in Rome for decades. Until recently, he represented Romans on the City Commission. Bonny now spends his time helping his community however he can. He said he was honored to be asked to participate in the competition and was happy to support such a great cause.

“I’ve got two daughters and in considering what this is all about, it kind of touched me in that way,” Bonny said.

As a public defender in Polk County, Morgan takes up for the underrepresented. Morgan has been dancing since she was three and Bonny said she’s been a good teacher. He said he’s a little apprehensive about the coming performance but he is happy to be a part of it.

TEAM BROCK

Medical professionals are taking the spotlight this year with two Harbin employees taking to the stage in the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge.

Harbin robotics surgeon Dr. Bennett Brock and pediatric nurse Tara Ogle make up Team Brock. The Harbin duo kept the details of their routine quiet but said that their performance was sure to be a crowd favorite.

Brock may be a star in the operating room, but he is a novice on the dance floor. The surgeon said that he thinks this will be a fun experience — he just hopes that people don’t think it’s too funny.

Brock’s inexperience in dancing is made up by Ogle, a Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge veteran. Ogle competed in the SAC event in 2018 and 2019 winning and won the judges’ choice award in both competitions. Ogle wasn’t able to compete last year because she was recovering from COVID-19 but she’s excited to be back this year.

Despite the secrecy surrounding their routine Ogle assured that their performance shouldn’t be missed.

“If you miss it, then I feel sad for you,” Ogle said.

TEAM COWAN

With a dramatic height difference between teammates, Team Cowan faced a unique challenge when planning their routine, thankfully comedy saved the day.

When looking for a routine Dr. John Cowan was directed to the Saturday Night Live’s series of sketches about The Spartan Cheerleaders. The sketch features two terrible cheerleaders who don’t realize they’re bad.

Cowan brought the idea to his teammate Dicie Waters, and they started rehearsing.

As a neurosurgeon at AdventHealth Redmond, Cowan is known as a serious man. He said that going into this competition, he wanted to “let down what little hair he had” and have some fun. Cowan doesn’t have any dancing experience, but he said that Waters has been a great help.

Waters is returning for her third year and is excited to show off their hard work. She shared that their performance will be goofy and fun and looks forward to the audience’s reaction.

TEAM DAVIS

WLAQ’s Elizabeth Davis moves from sound waves to center stage with childhood friend JoAnna Parker to compete in the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge.

Team Davis was mum about details on their routine, but Davis said that their music caters to everyone in the audience.

Davis will be performing in the competition for the first time but she’s not new to this event. Davis’s brother Matt and his wife Tonya competed in the first dance challenge and later emceed the event. Davis said that she’s wanted to be a part of this for years and she’s happy she’s able to now.

Parker, the other half of Team Davis is a teacher at Elm Street Elementary and a dancer at the Dance Centre. Davis said that their families grew up together and she babysat Parker when she was little.

“I’ve known her since she was a baby,” Davis said. “JoAnna is competitive and creative. I think we are going to have fun.”

TEAM HUFFMAN

Team Huffman plans to bring magic, fun, and friendship to Rome City Auditorium with their performance of “Friend Like Me” from the Disney animated film “Aladdin.”

Sarah Huffman and her teammate Caleigh Schroeder said the performance would be high energy and fun.

The duo has been dedicated to their routine. They began rehearsals for their performance in May and have practiced it two times a week since.

Huffman, with the City of Rome, had zero dancing experience going into this, so she was ready and willing to learn anything for this performance. Schroeder said that she’s been a great sport and partner.

The upcoming performance will be Huffman’s first time competing but Schroeder is a returning dancer. Last year she competed as a celebrity and was partnered with dancer Russell Evans, who is competing again this year.

TEAM JOHNSON

Former Braves cheerleader Shaylan Johnson returns to the world of dance with previous Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge competitor Russell Evans.

Team Johnson is bringing Broadway to Rome with their rendition of a famous musical. Johnson and Evans wanted their routine to remain secret but Johnson shared that they’ll bring “lots of sass and lots of class.”

Johnson said that this competition will be the first time she’s performed in years, and she’s excited for the experience. Johnson owns Blooming Oak Photography and is a part of the Northwest Georgia Minority Business Association.

“I feel like a kid again,” Johnson said.

It is Evans’s third year performing and he said that the event is always a fun and special experience.

TEAM YAUN

Team Yaun’s performance of the music of famous female singers Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez will send the audience back in time.

Rebecca Yaun and dancer Stevanie Bell’s performance will be a mashup of the two singers’ styles with some of Yaun and Bell’s personalities added.

Yuan of Lieberman Family Chiropractic wanted to pay respect to the female performers who inspired her in this performance. Yuan danced from the age of 4 to 18 and has wanted to participate in this competition for some time. She was asked to compete a few years back but she was pregnant at the time.

Yuan said that this performance will be fun and something that everyone will enjoy. Team Yaun shared that they’re aiming for the people’s choice award.

TEAM SHERWIN

Sweet Pickles Café owner Jeff Sherwin steps out of his comfort zone to participate in the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge in August.

Sherwin, joined by dancer Hannah Camacho, will bring style and flair to the Rome Auditorium with their performance of the Greatest Show from the film “The Greatest Showman.”

The routine will include choreography from the movie and unique additions like a marionette and puppeteer dance sequence. Sherwin said that the preparation for the competition has been stressful but worth it.

“It’s been a grueling task as far as my temperament is concerned. It’s pulled me out of my comfort zone,” Sherwin said.

Sherwin has no dance experience, but his partner Camacho has been participating in this competition for years. The team has put a lot of work into their routine. They started rehearsals in May and practiced twice a week.

Camacho and Sherwin are excited about their performance calling their routine magical.

TEAM TAYLOR

Sister-in-laws Amber Tayor and Lee Morris will take the stage in a bright and colorful performance inspired by the children’s toy Barbie.

Team Taylor’s performance will feature acrobatics and jazzy dance moves as it weaves together Taylor’s profession as a real estate agent and Morris’s love for dance.

Taylor said that preparing for the competition has been a great way to spend time with her sister. Taylor and Morris are both dancers who haven’t performed in a while, so they were excited to participate in this competition.

Team Taylor has been rehearsing once or twice a week for over a month. Despite having busy schedules, both women shared their dedication to their performance.

“Definitely a commitment, and it’s been so much fun,” Morris said.

TEAM WILLIAMS

With dance challenge competitors performing elaborate and flashy routines dance challenge veteran Nicky Mann and Dawn Williams have decided to stick with the basics.

Team Williams didn’t share much about their performance, but they did say they were keeping it classic. The dance will include a waltz and a swing, and Williams said it gives a good taste of ballroom dancing.

Williams, a math teacher at Coosa High School, has no dance experience. She shared that one of the hardest parts of this experience, outside of learning the dance, was picking the music for the routine.

Mann has been a part of the dance challenge for four years, and he specializes in ballroom dancing. He said that they had to change the choreography a few times but Williams has been a great partner.

Tickets are available at GiveButter.com . General admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets $125. VIP tickets include the event’s pre-party at 4:30 at Broad&Fifth.