web1_Lugiano.jpg

H.S. Golf: Trio of WVC golfers off pace after first round of state tournament

web1_75485226_511352143049610_2626039985135943680_n.jpg

Pence arrives at Schott for tour, manufacturing remarks

<p>&#8220;Nobody puts Baby in a corner,&#8221; Brad Hontz called out, reminding his audience of Patrick Swayze&#8217;s famous line.</p><p>Then Hontz, co-owner of The Barn Nutrition and Fitness in Shavertown, proceeded to remind the audience at Saturday evening&#8217;s fourth annual Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre competition of the way Swayze and Jennifer Gray danced to &#8220;Time of My Life&#8221; in the 1987 film &#8220;Dirty Dancing.&#8221;</p><p>He displayed his hip action. He slid across the floor on his knees. Best of all &#8212; and no doubt being a fitness trainer came in handy &#8212; he swung his professional dance partner, Kelly Jean Graham from Romar Dance Studio in Old Forge, onto his shoulder as he danced around the stage at KISS Theatre.</p><p>Hontz and Graham&#8217;s performance garnered the top votes from Saturday&#8217;s panel of four judges, which included local choreographers Lindsey Cronauer, Kevin Costley and Ashley Jevin along with WNEP-TV reporter Chelsea Strub.</p><p>By evening&#8217;s end they were declared winners of the Judges Choice mirror ball trophies.</p><p>&#8221;You guys tug at my heart strings,&#8221; Jevin told them.</p><p>&#8220;This is the gold standard of couples dancing,&#8221; Strub said.</p><p>But celebrity judges weren&#8217;t the only ones judging that night. </p><p>Kids who attended the show, held at the KISS Theatre Co. in Wilkes-Barre Township, voted for Heidi Schnappauf and her professional dance partner Maria Cinti for the Kids Choice Award. The duo&#8217;s tap routine incorporated drumming, a tug of war and even some difficult &#8220;wings&#8221; steps, which the judges praised Schnappauf for mastering in a short time.</p><p>&#8220;I fall down for a living,&#8221; Schnappauf, a Kingston native who works as a professional stunt woman based in New York City, remarked afterward, explaining why some falls were also part of the choreography.</p><p>The pair dedicated their performance to the memory of Chrissy Howe, a dance instructor from David Blight School of Dance who had passed away two days before the competition.</p><p>The People&#8217;s Choice Award, which brings in $1 per vote for KISS Theatre, went to Dr. Raymond Khoudary and his professional dance partner, Catherine Julius, who performed a tango rich with such theatrical elements as fog, a cape, a mask, and six young people who carried candelabra. Khoudary and Julius danced a tango to the title song from &#8220;Phantom of the Opera&#8221; and, as the music died, she dramatically pulled the mask from his face.</p><p>Moments later, Khoudary modestly gave all the credit to Julius. &#8220;She is great,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I have no talent. I don&#8217;t know how to dance. I am tone deaf.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Between her and my wife, they vanquished me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They insisted for me to dance.&#8221;</p><p>Strub praised Khoudary for stepping out of his comfort zone, and the doctor&#8217;s wife, Malak Khoudary, said because her husband now has some dance experience she will expect him to dance with her at weddings from now on.</p><p>&#8220;That is the benefit for me,&#8221; she said with a smile.</p><p>Other benefits, for everyone in Saturday&#8217;s audience, included the treat of watching seven couples dancing in a variety of styles.</p><p>Tina Rothery from Mericle Construction and her professional dance partner, Beth Connor, began their performance lying on the stage near a set of tombstones. Then rose like the living dead and, dressed like burlesque dance hall girls, performed a lively jazz dance. &#8220;The jazziest zombies I&#8217;ve ever seen,&#8221; master of ceremonies Dave Reynolds quipped.</p><p>Rothery and Connor took third place in the People&#8217;s Choice award contest, incidentally, while Hontz and Graham took second in that category.</p><p>Also adding to the fun of the night was physical therapist Chase Susko who, dressed like Captain Jack Sparrow from &#8220;Pirates of the Caribbean,&#8221; swaggered to the stage and engaged in a fast-paced paso doble that included a sword fight, a lift, and and also jumping over the head of his professional dance partner, Mary Siejak.</p><p>Masters of ceremony Reynolds and Julie Sidoni praised him for staying in character before and after the dance, and the judges had high praise as well.</p><p>&#8220;We were sold,&#8221; Cronauer said. &#8220;We loved it.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;That lift was fabulous,&#8221; Costley said.</p><p>Greatly enhancing the Halloween flavor of the evening were music director Chris LaFrance and his professional dance partner, Marikate Sullivan, who dressed as Morticia and Gomez Addams for a tango, complete with a black rose for the lady to clench between her teeth &#8212; and reportedly wild expressions on the gentleman&#8217;s face, most easily noticed by those on the stage.</p><p>&#8220;We were howling (with laughter) over here, Dave and I,&#8221; Sidoni told the dancers afterward. &#8220;It was seriously done, but there <em>is</em> a lot of humor.&#8221;</p><p>Also adding ghostly humor were photographer Brittany Boote and her professional dance partner, Mike Wawrzynek, who added a &#8220;Beetlejuice&#8221; theme to the evening, complete with a black-and-white-striped suit for Wawrzynek, reminiscent of Michael Keaton&#8217;s suit in the 1988 movie.</p><p>The People&#8217;s Choice voting raised more than $16,000 for KISS Theatre, a non-profit and inclusive theater that seeks to enrich the lives of children ages 4 through 18 through the arts of music, dance and theatre.</p><p>&#8220;This is one of my favorite nights of the year,&#8221; a happy artistic director Jessica Suda Baab said afterward. </p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dr. Raymond Khoudary and his partner, Catherine Julius, won the People&#8217;s Choice Award. They performed a tango with a &#8216;Phantom of the Opera&#8217; theme. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dr. Raymond Khoudary and his partner, Catherine Julius, won the People&#8217;s Choice Award. They performed a tango with a &#8216;Phantom of the Opera&#8217; theme. </caption0><photoCredit0>Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Heidi Germaine Schnappauf and partner Maria Cinti won the Kids Choice Award. They performed a tap routine Saturday evening. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Heidi Germaine Schnappauf and partner Maria Cinti won the Kids Choice Award. They performed a tap routine Saturday evening. </caption1><photoCredit1>Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chase Susko and Mary Siejak looked the part of Captain Jack Sparrow and a pirate lass as they performed a paso doble, complete with sword fighting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing6.jpg</photo2><caption2>Chase Susko and Mary Siejak looked the part of Captain Jack Sparrow and a pirate lass as they performed a paso doble, complete with sword fighting. </caption2><photoCredit2>Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.stars-007.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brad Hontz and Kelly Jean Graham won the Judges&#8217; Choice Award at the fourth annual Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre competition, held Saturday evening at KISS Theatre in Wilkes-Barre Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.stars-007.jpg</photo3><caption3>Brad Hontz and Kelly Jean Graham won the Judges&#8217; Choice Award at the fourth annual Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre competition, held Saturday evening at KISS Theatre in Wilkes-Barre Township. </caption3><photoCredit3>Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_rothery.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tina Rothery and Beth Connor struck a menacing pose to warn people their jazz dance routine portrays zombies come to life. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_rothery.jpg</photo4><caption4>Tina Rothery and Beth Connor struck a menacing pose to warn people their jazz dance routine portrays zombies come to life. </caption4><photoCredit4>Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre Facebook page </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_beetlejuice.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brittany Boote and Mike Wawrzynek added to the Halloween flavor of the evening with a &#8216;Beetlejuice&#8217; theme. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_beetlejuice.jpg</photo5><caption5>Brittany Boote and Mike Wawrzynek added to the Halloween flavor of the evening with a &#8216;Beetlejuice&#8217; theme. </caption5><photoCredit5>Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre Facebook page </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.morticia.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chris LaFrance and Marikate Sullivan danced a tango a la Gomez and Morticia Addams of &#8216;The Addams Family&#8217; fame. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.morticia.jpg</photo6><caption6>Chris LaFrance and Marikate Sullivan danced a tango a la Gomez and Morticia Addams of &#8216;The Addams Family&#8217; fame. </caption6><photoCredit6>Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre Facebook page </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.shoulder.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The audience had been waiting and hoping for a lift like this in when Brad Hontz and Kelly Jean Graham danced to &#8216;Time of My Life&#8217; like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Hontz and Graham took top honors from the judges during Saturday evening&#8217;s Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre competition. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_dancing.shoulder.jpg</photo7><caption7>The audience had been waiting and hoping for a lift like this in when Brad Hontz and Kelly Jean Graham danced to &#8216;Time of My Life&#8217; like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Hontz and Graham took top honors from the judges during Saturday evening&#8217;s Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre competition. </caption7><photoCredit7>Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre Facebook page </photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

From pirates to phantomsand tap to tangos