What have I agreed to do??! The bachata??!

Akin to "Dancing with the Stars", the Plymouth Housing Group is organizing a festive “celebrity” dance and dinner non-profit fundraiser called "Seattle Dances" in partnership with Hallie Kuperman and Century Ballroom. Along with seven other local “celebrities” (in our own minds), I will be dancing in this fundraising event on March 13, 2010 with a professional dance partner attempting to win the mirror ball award as best dancer. My competitors include Kathy Casey, Kathy Casey Food Studios, Joyce Taylor, KING5 TV News, Colette Courtion, Calidora Skin Clinics, Steven Goldfarb, Alvin Goldfarb Jewelers, Paul Lambros, Plymouth Housing Group, Michelle Foreman Barnet, Columbia West Properties, and Peter Neurath, Puget Sound Business Journal.

Plymouth Housing Group board member, Lynn Beck, developed the fundraiser idea and it has lots of fun, fundraising elements such as each “peoples’ choice” vote costs $25 and vote casting is eligible both in person at the event and online leading up to the event. All voters’ names will be entered into a drawing for multiple prizes to be awarded the evening of the event. There are three celebrity judges including Peter Boal, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director, Marco, Hair Stylist and owner of Marco’s Salon and Nicole Vogel, publisher of Seattle Metropolitan magazine.

My dance partner is Marcelo Garcés who leads a salsa dancing, teaching and performing group called Salsa Salvaje in his spare time following his day job at Colliers International. Each of us have a page on the "Seattle Dances" website and here is the link to mine: Cathi Hatch. Eventually, there will be a video clip included on the page that will show Marcelo and me rehearsing for the big competition. Today was our first official lesson and I am still struggling to learn the basic bachata steps so it is a very good thing that there was no video camera in sight!

Do you have any tips for winning a dance competition?