This is Carmen Coburn’s fourth year Dancing With the Stars because she loves to support Big Brothers Big Sisters. However, this is her first time dancing with her husband, Doug. Usually, he was content to help this special event by cleaning the floors but this time he’s going to give it a whirl on the dance floor.

They are looking forward to captivating the audience with their routines.

This year, Doug Coburn and his wife, Carmen, are celebrating 60 years together. They met in the 1960s.

​

Doug says he would rather go to the dentist than dance but he knows how much Carmen loves dancing and decided to make her dream come true to dance with her and support Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Reanna Ramaker has been teaching dance for about 20 years, and coached and danced in the Huron County Dancing With the Stars, in support of Victim Services, from 2009-19, with the exception of 2016 when she judged instead.

​

Reanna believes in the work that Big Brothers and Big Sisters does in the community and this is her way of giving back.

​

Taking part in this event also reinforces how much she loves creating choreography, dancing, and choosing or making costumes for performances.

Other than the occasional wedding dance or questionable moves at a school dance, these are the first real dance lessons Neil Gowan has taken.

Neil has learned that dancing is a lot harder than it looks. He has played a variety of sports and thought he had decent footwork, until he started learning choreography and realized that remembering the steps, staying on beat, and not stepping on your partner’s toes takes a whole new level of co-ordination.

He is excited to support the cause because as a teacher in Kincardine, he has seen the positive impact the organization has on children and families in the community.

This is Rachel Mackay’s fourth year in Dancing With the Stars.

​

Throughout practice, she has learned that she likes doing difficult things and she may be a bit stubborn.

 

However, Big Brothers and Big Sisters is such an amazing cause and it directly supports the community.

 

It’s great to be part of an event like this!

Paul Tota has never had any formal training other than doing some Salsa classes while on vacation. In March, he began practising for this year’s event.

He has discovered that it takes a lot of concentration, commitment and dedication to actually be good at dance! Memorization, showmanship and attention to detail are critical when training for Dancing With The Stars!

Paul is participating in this event because it is an excellent opportunity to learn how to dance, he enjoys dancing and wants to improve on his skills, and it supports an important charity which motivates him to give back to the community.

Basil McCarthy has been dancing for more than 60 years, having taken ballroom dance lessons when he was 16 and winning his first trophy at age 17. He and his wife, Fran, took up ballroom dancing and were quite successful.

​

Last year was his first time in Dancing With the Stars and he and dance partner, Jennifer White, won third.

 

He also auctioned off his shirt with the proceeds ($250) going toward the cause.

​

This year, he will attempt to entertain the audience again and help Big Brothers and Big Sisters with fund-raising.

Dr. Amy Gowan loves to dance but this is her first experience learning ballroom dancing.

This experience has allowed Amy to connect with her creative side and support a great cause. She can also show her kids that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and you’re willing to work hard, be brave and believe in yourself.

She is excited to compete against her husband, Neil Gowan, and appreciates all the support from her dance partner, their coach and her family who inspire her to keep learning and growing.

This is Karen Yun’s fourth time competing in Dancing With the Stars.

​

While she enjoys learning the dances, she finds it difficult trying to co-ordinate three people’s schedules with the availability of a practice venue, but eventually, it all comes together.

​

And it’s all for a good cause because it’s important to help kids feel included.

 

That way we can build an empathetic and resilient community.

This is Greg Nicholson’s first commitment to learn how to dance and he has been practising since May.

He has learned that there’s more to dancing than just moving your body, or taking arbitrary steps around the dance floor. He believes it has given him a new way to communicate with a dance partner and express himself. There’s so much more for him to learn!

Participating in Dancing With the Stars is the best way for him to support a worthy organization that is working to inspire young people who are facing life challenges.