​Get Real: So you think you can dance!

It seemed like such a good idea last fall.

There I was, one of the lucky few who had a seat in the Kincardine Dance Hall Pavilion to watch the Dancing With the Stars event in-person, rather than on-line. It was such a delight to watch some of the well-known personas from around Kincardine and area, paired up with “seasoned” dancers, to strut their stuff on the dance floor.

The event is a major fund-raiser for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kincardine and District, so it was doubly satisfying to watch these volunteer dancers go through their paces, all in support of such a worthy organization that helps youth in the community.

So, when organizer Linda Johnson called me a couple of weeks later and suggested I might like to be a celebrity dancer for the 2022 event, I said, oh sure, why not?

Suddenly, fast-foward to this spring and I was suddenly wondering if I may have acted in haste.

I was paired with “seasoned” dancer Kenneth Craig (left) whom I’ve known for years. He was a dairy farmer, foster parent, council member and then a Baptist Church minister, and now, he’s the new mayor of Kincardine. We get along fine, and we certainly had to get along if we had to dance together.

We began practising in late April after agreeing to dance the Foxtrot and the East Coast Swing – two simple dances, how hard can they be?

Well, in fact, ballroom dancing is pretty tough. I’ve been dancing with my husband for many, many years, everything from the two-step to a square dance, but I will tell you, ballroom is a whole different genre and takes more than six months to perfect.

But there we were, learning the steps, thanks to our incredible instructors and coaches, Linda and Ian Johnson. We picked out the music to go with the dances, and then we had to change one because someone else had already selected it.

I ventured off with a group of women to Toronto to pick up proper dance shoes. Then we had to consider what outfits we were going to wear. I needed a formal dress for the Foxtrot and a more relaxed and flashy outfit for the East Coast Swing.

Now, I’m going to tell you straight up, I’m a large woman and not necessarily physically-fit, so learning and practising the dance steps was hard enough work, let alone having to get measurements taken, alterations made, and trying to find outfits that are loose enough to dance in but look cool on the dance floor. Thanks, Jackie Rosart, you’re a gem!

And don’t forget the proper foundation garments, but that’s another story.

As the summer passed, and I realized that, seriously, I have a couple of months to get this right, we began practising twice a week and doing what Linda likes to call “polishing.” Then I had surgery on my nose to remove a skin cancer, so I was out of commission for a bit. Then I tripped over a step and hurt my knees and my left foot. My husband suggested I consider staying at home and wrapping myself in bubble wrap for the final two weeks before the event.

Well, here we are, with just one week to go before the Dancing With the Stars, Saturday, Nov. 5,, featuring Liz and Ken, along with six other couples, and I’m figuring if nothing else, we will be entertaining. And that’s a good thing because, ultimately, it’s for a good cause, supporting Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kincardine and District.

I hear the in-person tickets at the Kincardine Pavilion are sold out which is terrific, but you can still get on-line tickets to watch us dance the light fantastic. Check it out, at www.dancingwiththestars-kincardine-bbbs.com/dwts-event-details.