By Nick Nunn
Staff Writer
photos by josiah connelly

The Madison-Morgan County branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia put on the first annual Dancing with Madison’s Stars fundraiser last Thursday at the Morgan County Cultural Center’s Annex.
Tickets for the event were $50, and table seating for up to eight people was available for $600 per table. The tables sold out well before the event.
The event kicked off with a routine by the Boys & Girls Club Step Team and a dance by the “mystery contestant,” Madison’s Anaiah Rucker, whose home was remodeled by ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition last year.
Ten couples, Madison’s “Stars,” performed in the main competition.
In the competition, a panel comprised of three judges watched each couple’s routine and provided a critique after each performance.
Two awards were awarded at the end of the night: the "Audience’s Favorite" and the "Judges’ Favorite."
The Audience’s Favorite award was granted to the team that got the most votes leading up to the performances, combined with the level of applause from the audience after each individual routine.
Sarah and David Burbach won the Judges’ award, but Anne and Robert Trulock took home the Audience’s Favorite award with their routine.
The music and dance styles of the Trulocks’ performance outlined the development of their relationship, beginning with an uncomfortable slow dance to the Jackson 5’s “I’ll be There,” moving through a mid-life crisis with Flo-Rida’s “Low,” and finally ending with Earth Wind & Fire’s timeless hit “September.”
During the night, there was also a spirited live performance by Ruth Porter’s Zumba Dancers.
At the end of the evening, it was announced that $5,600 had already been raised. By the time the totals from the event came in, $20,000 was given to the Boys & Girls Club.
The Boys & Girls Club is already planning to reprise the event next year; a handful of contestants have already been chosen for the event’s second season.

Printed in the November 22, 2012 edition