The 2012 Stars of New York Dance returns for its third year on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kumble Theater in Downtown Brooklyn.
The event and will bring NYC officials and community leaders together to dance for a cause and honor Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, executive pastor and spiritual engineer of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, for his longstanding commitment to edifying and uplifting the lives of children and families.
“Reverend Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood is a nationally celebrated spiritual leader who has blessed Brooklyn with his work,” Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said. “Rev. Dr. Youngblood has had a major influence in the betterment of so many communities, but none greater than his impact on East New York, Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant, neighborhoods that have been among the city’s most economically challenged. Tens of thousands of Brooklynites have been empowered and uplifted by Rev. Dr. Youngblood, and I say bravo to The Stars of New York Dance for choosing to honor him for his dedication to improving the lives of children and their families” said Borough president.
The Stars of New York Dance is a charitable, thrilling and judged dance competition for New York City leaders that raises dance scholarship funds for children from low-income communities to help them develop discipline, confidence and self-esteem to succeed in school and in life.
New York State Senators John Sampson and Kevin Parker; New York City Council Member Darlene Mealy; Rev. Richard Honeywell of St. Paul Community Baptist Church and Trey Whitfield School Teacher Donna White are the “Stars of New York” that will dance and compete—similar to Dancing with the Stars—to give Brooklyn children and youth a chance to receive a free dance education.
Members of the community can vote for the New York “Star” that they think will win at www.thestarsofnewyorkdance.com. The voters’ choice will be announced at the event.
Special guest dancers and presenters include event host and host of “Inside City Hall” on NY 1 News Errol Louis, Congressman-Elect Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray, New York City Council Member Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson.
The 2012 Stars of New York Dance is sponsored by Macy’s, WABC-TV, United Way of New York City, MetroPlus Health Plan, Vera Moore Cosmetics, Anheuser-Busch Stella Artois, Youth America, Inc., Our Time Press Newspaper and Patch.com.
The 2012 Stars of New York Dance partners five New York City community leaders with five professional dance artists that teach and perform with a community-based dance organization. The “Dancing Stars” will compete to win a $5,000 dance scholarship award for their dance partners’ dance organization that will provide free or subsidized dance education for one year to children and youth, and pay for their dance tuition fees, class uniforms, shoes and dance costumes.
Judges for the dance competition include artist, author and philanthropist Danny Simmons; Artistic Director of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Dance Theater Company Karen Thornton-Daniels, and Artistic Director of Balance Dance Theatre Obediah Wright.
The Stars of New York Dance is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of The Stars of New York Dance must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
