PIQUA — The 13th annual Dancing with the Piqua Stars was a success, with the 2024 Mirror Ball Champions title going to Joshua and Nicole Landis.

According to a press release from the Piqua Arts Council, on Saturday, April 20, the organization hosted its 13th edition of Dancing with the Piqua Stars. With a sold-out crowd, a lively cast and loads of sparkle, the event was truly a success. Altogether, the five participating couples were able to raise over $20,000 for the Arts Council. These funds will be used to support our community programming like Rock Piqua!, the Bourbon Affair, Art 4 Everyone, the Annual Fine Art Exhibition, and more.

The 2024 cast spent the previous months hosting raffles, special events and fundraisers in support of their team as they raced for the Mirror Ball Trophy. They were paired with various local dance instructors with whom they practiced a 3-minute dance routine. Instructors this year included Rick and Judy Bowerman of RJ Ballroom, Liz Maxson, and Tammy Bellamy-Chaney.

The couples performed at an afternoon Dessert Matinee and then again that evening at the Dinner Performance. After each show, we heard from our matinee judges Kelsie Clayton, Hanna Fidler, and Peggy Henthorn as well as our dinner judges Kari Foster, John Voisinet, and Countess V. Winfrey. Judges were asked to score the dancers on their performance, then those scores were combined and a final decision was made for the winners of the Technical Merit Award and the Most Entertaining Award.

Piqua Arts Council Executive Director Jordan Knepper, and emcee Jim Gover Jr. shared their opening remarks, and then it was time to start dancing. Kicking off the evening were partners Omar Velazquez and Helga Leap, who performed a cha-cha dance to “Back In Time” by Pitbull, followed by Ashley Pitcock and Sabrina Messaros, who performed a jazz hip-hop dance to a mashup of “Hella Good” and “Looking Hot” by No Doubt. After a brief intermission that brought some votes in from the crowd, more dancing commenced with an east coast swing by Evan Jameson and Meghan Bell to “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac. Next up was Joshua and Nicole Landis, who executed a hip-hop dance to a mashup of “King Jesus” and “Church Clap” by KB and other artists. Finally, Robert and Morgan Crow finished the night with a mambo/salsa dance to “Face Drop” by Sean Kingston, and after another brief round of voting it came time to announce the winners.

It was certainly not an easy decision for the judges with quality performances from each member of the 2024 cast, but at the end of the night the answers were in. In the closest contest in the history of Dancing with the Piqua Stars, the Technical Merit Trophy was awarded to dancers Evan Jameson and Meghan Bell, whose routine was choreographed by Rick and Judy Bowerman. The Most Entertaining Award went to Joshua and Nicole Landis, whose routine was choreographed by Tammy Bellamy-Chaney. And as if one award wasn’t enough, Joshua and Nicole Landis also went home with the big trophy of the night, the 2024 Mirror Ball Champions title, having singlehandedly raised over $9,700 for the Arts Council.

“Congratulations to the Joshua and Nicole, and to all the fantastic cast members for such excellent performances!” said the release.

The success of this fundraiser is made possible through its volunteers, sponsors, donors, attendees, the Romer’s Catering staff, the tech crew, Hartzell Propeller, Barclay’s Men’s and Women’s Clothiers, the Ohio Arts Council, and Comfort Inn, Piqua. This event would not be what it is today without each and every one of them.

The 2024 dinner performance will be available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@piquaarts soon, thanks to AJ Ganger and Indian Nation Station. Photos from the event, courtesy of Taylor West Photography, will be available soon on the Piqua Arts Council Facebook page. Learn more about the 2024 Dancing with the Piqua Stars and nominate dancers for next year here: www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org/dancing