Dancers around the Permian Basin will soon get their chance to shine as Dancing with the West Texas Stars returns for its eighth year.
The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Ector Theatre and the Odessa Marriott.
“This is one of my favorite events of the year,” Communication and Development Coordinator of the Crisis Center of West Texas Hannah Horick said. “It’s going to be our eighth annual Dancing with the West Texas Stars and I think it’s going to be our best one. I’m really excited about it. We’ve made some big changes for this year as far as the venue. It’ll be a great fit for folks who have never been before but also for the people who have been to the event in the past and are ready to mix things up just a little bit.”
The fundraiser benefits the Crisis Center of West Texas and the mission to end domestic and sexual violence.
Dancing with the West Texas Stars is an evening of performances by 10 local stars partnered with talented professional dancers from the community which will take place at Ector Theatre.
Afterwards, the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center will host the After Party which will feature live music, drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres.
The biggest change this year will be the venue.
In the past, Dancing with the West Texas Stars took place in the ballroom of the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
This year, the dance competition will take place at Ector Theatre before the after party takes place at the Odessa Marriott.
“This is the first year that we’re going to be out of the ballroom setting and going to do the show itself in the historic Ector Theatre,” Horick said. “We’re really excited about that partnership because we know it’s a beautiful space and it gives us an opportunity to showcase the work that these dancers have done. It’s much easier to see these performances on the big stage than it is to watch from the audience of a ballroom, dining room setting. We’re looking forward to that and all the theatrics that comes with being in a venue like the Ector Theatre.”
The 2023 stars and professionals include: Cindy Daniels and Gary Dutchover, Todd Dooley and Kelsey Tanner, Kendall Gray and Kara Williams, Subodh Malik and Anita Malik, Nicole Pool and Parker LeRoy, Archie Rollie and Ryanne Lewis, Lucy Sisniega-Hoyos and Beatriz Gonzales Fierro, Lori Stafford and Diego Mata, Tryann Stevenson and Emily Hamer, Zach Stokes and Brooklyn Anderson.
Last year’s winners were Angie Hurt King and her partner Noah Guzman who had the UTPB Drumline take part in their routine.
“I’m really excited for this year’s dancers. I actually think that the folks who danced in 2022 have really raised the bar and set the standard for showmanship. Our winner last year, Angie Hurt King really knocked people’s socks off when the UTPB drumline marched through the ballroom and joined her on the stage. That was such an amazing theatrical moment. I think everybody was inspired by what they saw last year in terms of props and backup dancers. I think it’s really exciting how folks are going to run with this year and what they’re working on.”
Dancing with the West Texas Stars began eight years ago when a board member and former executive director looked for a way to bring a big event to help the Crisis Center of West Texas.
“This was before my time but the story that’s been told to me is that there was a similar event that they were inspired by in Abilene,” Horick said. “They took the idea and ran with it. They customized it to make a fun way to connect members of our community with each other and through the performance aspect of it and also to bring some funds back towards the Crisis Center.”
Some people may not know the details of what the Crisis Center of West Texas does when they come to Dancing with the West Texas Stars.
“We love that they get to find out the work that we do,” Horick said.” It’s such a fun setting. But this fundraiser is the largest annual fundraiser that we do for the Crisis Center. It’s one of our only fundraisers and it provides all sort of general funding to support our mission and the various needs of our survivors throughout the year. We’re really fortunate to have support from foundations and government funding and individual and corporate donors. This event gives people access to talk about the Crisis Center and have a good time and really enjoy a night out that so directly goes to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence.”
Last year’s event brought in about $260,000 towards the center.
“That’s pretty standard,” Horick said. “Generally speaking, we’ve been fortunate to see more and more in donations come in each year. It’s tough to see how it’ll work this year with the changing of the venue but we expect to make more than $200,000 once Feb. 4 rolls around.”
For more information about Dancing with the West Texas Stars or the Crisis Center of West Texas, go to tinyurl.com/dv45zec7.
If you go
- What: Dancing with the West Texas Stars.
- When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4.
- Where: Ector Theatre and Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
- Where to purchase tickets: tinyurl.com/ye2b56an
