Tuesday, July 29, 2025–10:15 a.m.
-Staff Reports-
A variety of familiar faces will take the stage in the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rome City Auditorium.
All proceeds raised by this event will benefit the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia, according to Kimberly King, the center’s executive director.
“Last year, in total, we served 387 primary survivors,” she said. “Of that, 145 were under the age of 18. We have secondary survivors, tertiary survivors, so the numbers add up very quickly. We ended serving into the thousands, just being able to provide direct services to survivors and their support people this past year. Our 24/7 hotline is always running, so we answered hundreds of calls last year as well.”
Modeled after the popular TV show “Dancing With the Stars,” the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge will feature performances by 10 celebrity teams, with styles ranging from hip hop to ballroom and everything in between.
The dancers are:
- Greg Abbott of the Rome-Floyd Fire Department dancing with Dicie Waters of The Dance Centre and Rome Middle School
- Lisa Acree of AdventHealth Redmond dancing with Emily Nebb of The Dance Centre, a student at Kennesaw State University
- Daniel Bosarge of Edward Jones dancing with his wife, Jenna Bosarge of the Children’s Museum of Rome, with choreography assistance from Kathy Baird of Baird Ballet and Maggie Brinson, a student at the University of Georgia
- Courtnay Griffin of the City of Rome dancing with Caitlin Phillips, a homemaker, with choreography assistance from Tahnya Jones
- Jennifer Hopper of Dermaculture Skin & Spa dancing with her husband, Jason Hopper of AT&T, with choreography assistance from Lee Morris of The Dance Centre
- Dr. Mike Natarella of Darlington School dancing with JoAnna Parker of The Dance Centre and Elm Street Elementary School
- Melody Noyes, a retired educator and part-time trivia jockey with Challenge Entertainment Georgia, dancing with Jason West of Ernst Concrete and the Cave Spring City Council, with choreography assistance from Alexis Tyson of Rome High School
- Dr. Heather Pryor of Harbin Clinic Cedartown Family Medicine dancing with Nash Williams of The Season Events with choreography assistance from Dicie Waters of The Dance Centre and Rome Middle School
- Lynn Rousseau of River Remedy Brewing Co. dancing with Russell Evans of HDA Architects Inc.
- Allen Stephens of Atrium Health Floyd dancing with Hannah Camacho of The Dance Centre and Baird Ballet
Teams compete for the Judges’ Choice Award, to be determined by a panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award, which is determined by community support in the form of funds donated. Supporters may click here or text RCDC to 53-555 to vote/donate to their favorite teams in the months leading up to the show and during the performances.
The Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge, which will be celebrating its 12th show, has raised more than $1.5 million for the Sexual Assault Center since 2011.
“We are very lucky and blessed to serve and exist in a community that recognizes the need for a compassionate response, and recognizes that this isn’t something that can be a public service,” King said. “This is something that has to be supported by the public, and thankfully, we are. We’re so very thankful for all of the outpouring, especially with this year and this group of ten. It’s been a really exciting year.”
To keep up with the latest information, follow Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge on Facebook.
