Stars dance their way for good causes

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon dancing to techno-pop?

Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson doing disco?

A sold-out audience was on its feet more than once, applauding the participants' gutsiness in going so far out of their comfort zones Saturday night at "Dance Your Passion," a charity event at the Dorothy Jayne Studio ballroom in Everett.

Snohomish County elected officials and community leaders sweated through three months of dance lessons to compete in dance routines, raising more than $20,000 for the Imagine Children's Museum, the Everett Family YMCA and the Dorothy Jayne Foundation. About 200 people attended.

"Everett is part of the dance world now," said Olga Foraponova, an international dance champion, who with her professional instructors, choreographed routines that brought out everybody's show-biz side.

Everyone was a winner. Former head of Naval Station Everett Dan Squires, dressed in an Indiana Jones outfit, did lifts and spins with grace and expression with his partner, Foraponova, in "Hunter and Huntress" for the "Most Dramatic" award.

Judge Anna Trebunskaya, who has been on the hit TV show "Dancing with the Stars," called their number "awesome." It's always hardest to be the first couple on the floor, Trebunskaya said, but "you stayed in character throughout the dance."

Everett public-information officer Kate Reardon won "Most Athletic" for her intricate Spanish dance.

Kim Bedier, manager of the Everett Events Center, won "Most Lyrical" for her dignified dance, full of spins and lifts, to "Maria" from "West Side Story." "They might be sleepless in Seattle, but they're in love in Everett," said judge Cory Christianson.

Everett City Council President Brenda Stonecipher, floating in blue chiffon to "Singin' in the Rain," was awarded "Most Elegant."

United Way's Deborah Squires won "Most Energetic" for her saucy swing number done to "Jailhouse Rock." Snohomish County Councilman Mark Olson raked in "Most Mysterious" as well as all the poker chips in a clever number done to "Casino Royale."

Aaron Reardon won "Most Entertaining" in an intricate routine about a VIP in the glare of the spotlight. "Oh, man — are you a professional?" asked judge Sergey Krutikov.

Kim Buike, former director of the Port of Everett marina, won the top award as well as "Most Romantic" for his rumba with Foraponova.

Everett Mayor Stephanson won "Most Musical" with a clever number that started with a dream sequence at a telephone where he's barraged by city business. In the number, he gets a call from Foraponova to be part of "Dance Your Passion," which he initially puts off. But before you know it, there he is, on the floor, disco dancing and spinning his partner in a white shirt, black pants and red tie to "Last Dance."

"Dancing is so hot right now, it was a very nice way of involving city officials and managers in a really clever way to raise money," Trebunskaya said after the show.

And it was very brave of all of them, she said.

Diane Wright: 425-745-7815