Dancing with the Rexburg stars set to raise money for local teachers

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - Dancing with the Rexburg Stars has it all this year, from Performances, to fundraising, and even a dancing cat.

"He's so ready for his performance. We've been practicing for our performance a couple of times a week," said Brian Ward, one of the performers for Dancing with the Rexburg Stars. "He's a really good dancer. So we'll be doing a Charleston."

Brian will be participating in this competition, but he won't be alone. His 11 year old cat, Thor, will dance with him. He's been working on a couple of dance moves and balancing on his father's shoulder. Thor and Brian have done it all together.

"We've gone downhill skiing, four wheeling, rafting, tubing, and boating," Brian recalled.

Now, they and seven other contestants are preparing to take center stage to dance for a good cause.

"We invite eight community members," Carolyn Broadbent, a science teacher for Madison Junior High School and the organizer for the event, said. "They come in as our stars. They dance with our senior IBA or ballroom pros. They get a coach. They have about 6 to 8 weeks to prepare a 90 second number and then perform."

The event not only brings the community together, but it will also raise some much needed funds for teachers. Everything raised goes towards teacher grants through the Madison Education Foundation.

"Money is always needed in the schools," Broadbent explained. "There's never enough for the number of students that we have. Our regular fees are not necessarily enough to cover everything that we have. This allows for teachers to write grants to get consumables or for big projects or anything like that."

This weekend, these competitors will be strapping on their jazz shoes for their big performance. Including Thor, who will get to continue his adventure on his father's shoulder.

Dancing with the Rexburg Stars will take place this Saturday, November 7th at 7 P.M. at Madison High School. You can find more information about the event on Dancing with the Rexburg Star's Facebook.