Dancing With The Stars - Austin
Since its inception in 2007, Dancing with the Stars - Austin has been a huge success; pairing Austin celebrities with professional dancers for one evening each year in a fund-raising effort for Center for Child Protection.
Founded in 1989, the Center for Child Protection, an accredited Children's Advocacy Center, is the first stop for children entering the justice system because of suspected sexual abuse, for serious physical abuse, and for children who have witnessed a violent crime. The Center is a child-friendly, specially-equipped facility in Travis County where children and their protective family or caregiver go for evidence gathering, forensic medical exams, counseling, and intervention during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. Referrals are made exclusively through law enforcement and Child Protective Services, and all services are provided at no charge and with no waiting list. The Center's mission is to reduce the trauma for children during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases.
From the beginning, Sabrina has served as director of the performance side of this event and has helped the Center raise over 2 million dollars! There is an unbelievable amount of work that goes on behind-the-scenes with an event like this. If you have enjoyed this event over the years, you might enjoy seeing this video that shows just a little of what it takes to put it together:
Dancing With The Stars - Austin 2010
On Sunday, December 5, 2010 at The Hilton Downtown Austin, Austin celebrities were paired with professional dancers for a fund-raising ballroom dance performance.
The event included a live auction, a drawing for a luxury Lexus vehicle and live music by the Spazmatics so that attendees could dance the night away! This year the event, coupled with the Luxury car raffle, grossed more than $900,000.
2010 Austin Celebrities and Their Professional Partners
| Austin Celebrity | Professional Partner | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Kristie Dennis, Sustaining Supporter for the Center for Child Protection & Community Volunteer | Denis Generalov | View |
| Chef David Garrido, Chef & Owner of Garrido's | Sarah Berens | View |
| Stacey Hammer, Philanthropist & Community Volunteer | Mike Topal | View |
| John Hogg MD, Radiologist and Community Leader | Klair VanSlyke | View |
| Mickey Klein, Oil & Gas Exploration and Production; University of Texas Supporter & Community Volunteer | Susan Kirklin | View |
| Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, City Council Member & Community Leader | Lindsay LeBlanc | View |
| Charmaine McGill, Director of the Cain Foundation, Philanthropist & Volunteer | Curtis Prevost | View |
| Joe Ross, Entrepreneur & Community Volunteer | Jessica Nail | View |
| Amy Rudy, Mom & Community Volunteer | David Kloss | View |
| Wendy Topfer, Mother, Community Volunteer & Member of the Topfer Family Foundation | Randy Ferguson | View |
In addition, Anna Anami, Lisa Matulis, Stephanie O'Neill, Linda Trayor and Andrea Rado danced an exhibition dance choreographed by Jolie Generalov.
2010 Austin Celebrity Judges
- Austin American-Statesman Social Columnist, Michael Barnes
- Talk Show Host for KLBJ-AM, Ed Clements
- Writer, Filmmaker, Founder of The Nobelity Project, Turk Pipkin
Title Sponsor: Lexus of Austin
Honorary Chairs: Eloise & John Paul DeJoria
Co-Chairs: Maria Groten, Mary Herr Tally
Dance Director: Sabrina Barker-Truscott
Dancing With The Stars - Austin 2009
On Sunday, December 6, 2009 at The Hilton Austin, Austin celebrities were paired with professional dancers for a fund-raising ballroom dance performance.
The event included live and silent auctions, a drawing for a luxury Lexus vehicle and live music so attendees could dance the night away! Early estimates indicate this event raised more than $850K for the Center for Child Protection.
2009 Austin Celebrities and Their Professional Partners
| Austin Celebrity | Professional Partner | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Joanie Bentzin, Energetic Austin Promoter and Social Networker | Danny Davila | View |
| Gigi Bryant, 5th Generation Austinite, Community Volunteer & Businesswoman | Dennis Generalov | View |
| Eloise DeJoria, Actress & Paul Mitchell Systems Spokesperson | Randy Ferguson | View |
| Charles Duggan, Broadway and Greater Tuna Producer | Kat Parr | View |
| Richard Garriott, 1st Second Generation Astronaut / Computer Game Developer | Sabrina Barker-Truscott | View |
| Sheriff Greg Hamilton, Travis County Sheriff | Lindsay LeBlanc | View |
| Susan Lubin, Austin Lyric Opera Supporter & Volunteer Extraordinaire | David Kloss | View |
| Holly Mills-Gardner, Miss Texas USA 1998 & TV Personality | Shaun Bruno | View |
| Dan Neil, Former Denver Bronco & 2-Time Superbowl Champion | Sarah Berens | View |
| Dave Steakley, ZACH Theatre Producing Artistic Director | Jolie Generalov | View |
| Michelle Valles, Local News Anchor & Community Volunteer | Curtis Prevost | View |
| Mitchell Zoll, Lawyer with Strasburger & Price & Community Volunteer | Jennifer Kloss | View |
In addition, Chief Art Acevedo, Tammy Buckman, Katrine Formby, Linda McCaul, Lauree Moffett, Jeanne Parker, Ann Schneider, Robin Segesta, and Deanna Serra danced a special showcase performance.
2009 Austin Celebrity Judges
- Talk show host for KLBJ-AM, Ed Clements
- Founder & CEO of Dynabrand, Local Arts Reporter, Carla McDonald
- CEO & Editor of Texas Tribune, Evan Smith
Title Sponsor: Lexus of Austin
Honorary Chairs: Ronya Kozmetsky, Maxine Roberts, Edith Royal
Co-Chairs: Maria Groten, Mary Herr Tally
Dance Director: Sabrina Barker-Truscott
Dancing With The Stars - Austin 2008
From 5:30 PM - 11 PM on Sunday, December 7, 2008 at The Hilton Austin, Austin celebrities were paired with professional dancers for a fund-raising ballroom dance performance. Here is a slideshow we put together of the event:
During the event there was a silent auction, a semi-live auction, a live auction and a drawing for a Hybrid Lexus Luxury Utility Vehicle and a live band. According to their website, this event raised more than $580K for the Center for Child Protection.
2008 Austin Celebrities and Their Professional Partners
| Austin Celebrity | Professional Partner | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Art Acevedo, of the Austin Police Department | Jolie Generalov | View |
| Dr. Robert Clement, MD, APDI Skin Care Clinic | Katie Parr | View |
| Larry Connelly, arts leader and philanthropist | Lindsay LeBlanc | View |
| Meghan Danahey, KVUE-TV Broadcast Meteorologist | David Vance | View |
| Wally DeRoeck, enterpreneur and community philanthropist | Sabrina Barker-Truscott | View |
| Ronda Gray, children's advocate and founder of Camp On The Move | Danny Davila | View |
| Maria Groten, community volunteer | Mike Topel | View |
| Karen Hawkins, community volunteer and philanthropist | Curtis Prevost | View |
| Mitch Jacobson, former Dell executive and arts leader | Jennifer Kloss | View |
| Amy Simmons, founder and owner of Amy's Ice Cream | David Kloss | View |
| Roxanne Wilson, survivor of Donald Trump's hit reality show The Apprentice | Dennis Generalov | View |
In addition, Bill and Venus Strawn, entrepreneur and community volunteer, danced a Cha-Cha showcase dance to I Like It Like That. (watch it here)
2008 Austin Celebrity Judges
- Talk show host for KLBJ-AM, Ed Clements
- 2007 Dancing with the Stars-Austin winner and law partner at Vinson & Elkins, Bill Jones
- Owner of BMW of Austin Ava Late
Title Sponsor: Lexus of Austin
Honorary Chair: Texas First Lady Anita Perry
Event Organizers: Mary Tally and Stacee Bell
Dance Director: Sabrina Barker-Truscott
Media Blurbs:
- Arts and Entertainment editor, Michael Barnes, wrote about the evening on his Out and About blog
- News reporter, Heidi Zhou, has a few snippets on News8Austin (here and here) that aired before the event on Sunday
- MyFox Austin posted a sneak peek of Chief Acevedo practicing his dance moves
Dancing With The Stars - Austin 2007
From 6 PM - 11 PM on Sunday, December 2, 2007 at The Hilton Austin, Austin celebrities were paired with professional dancers for a fund-raising ballroom dance performance. Here is a slideshow we put together of the event:
During the event there was a silent auction, a semi-live auction, a live auction and a drawing for a Hybrid Lexus Luxury Utility Vehicle. According to their website, this event raised more than $278K for the Center for Child Protection.
2007 Austin Celebrities and Their Professional Partners
| Austin Celebrity | Professional Partner | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cecelia Abbott, wife of the Attorney General, Greg Abbott | Danny Davila | View |
| Brent Buckman, Golf Pro and GM at the Spanish Oaks Country Club | Sabrina Barker | View |
| Gerald Daugherty, Travis County Commissioner | Stacy Huston | View |
| Christine Haas, KVUE Anchor | Curtis Prevost | View |
| Patty Huffines, Sales and Marketing Team with Public Strategies | Curtis Prevost | View |
| Bill Jones, law partner with Vinson & Elkins | Katie Parr | View |
| Margaret Krasovec, philanthropist and entrepreneur | David Vance | View |
| Ava Late, owner of the local BMW dealership | Shaun Bruno | View |
| Andrea McWilliams, lobbyist and owner of a government affairs consulting business | Stephen Cullip | View |
| Lance Avery Morgan, publisher of Brilliant | Jennifer Kloss | View |
In addition, Julie Crenshaw, Gold Celebrity Ben Crenshaw's wife, and Larry Gatlin, country singer-songwriter, danced a Two-Step Show Dance to Houston (watch it here)
2007 Austin Celebrity Judges
- County singer-songwriter, Larry Gatlin
- Talk show host for KLBJ-AM, Ed Clements
- Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott
Title Sponsor: Lexus of Austin
Honorary Chairs: Coach Mack Brown and his wife, Sally Brown
Event Sponsors: Jeanne Parker and Venus Strawn
Dance Director: Sabrina Barker
