KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

To Host 17^th Annual REACH FOR THE STARS

Local Celebrities Will Put Their Best Feet Forward for

Ballroom Dance Competition at the Kravis Center –

April 24

Fundraiser for Kravis Center’s S*T*A*R Series Will Include Gourmet Food & Fine Wine

(West Palm Beach, FL – March 9, 2010) The twinkle-toe tag-team match is back for the 17^th annual Reach for the Stars on Saturday, April 24, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. The annual fundraiser benefits the Kravis Center ‘s S*T*A*R (Students and Teachers Arts Resource) Series and education programs. 

The evening’s ballroom dance competition will include the following local celebrity dancers vying to be this year’s winner:

+ J. Gwendolynne Berry, one of the Swirl Girls from

The Palm Beach Post

+ Josh Cohen from WZZR Real Radio

+ Marci Gonzalez from WPTV News Channel 5

+ Liz Quirantes from CBS 12 News

+ Rochelle Ritchie from WPTV News Channel 5

+ Corey Saban from THELAW.TV

+ Steve Walsh, former NFL Quarterback and Head Football Coach at Cardinal Newman High School

Returning to face off from previous years’ competitions, Mayor Lois Frankel, 2009’s Dancing for the Stars winner, will once again polish her dance shoes, put on her fanciest duds and prepare to square off against the 2008’s winner, CBS 12 NEWS and WFLX Fox 29’s Suzanne Boyd. Mayor Frankel’s tango partner will be Angelo Caruso from Caruso Dancesport, and Ms. Boyd will be performing the foxtrot with Herb Vazquez from The Palms West Ballroom.

 The competing celebrities will be paired with professional dancers Claude Crevier and Kyoung-im Kang from Park Avenue Dance in West Palm Beach; Lesley Elsbury from Arthur Murray in Tequesta; and Brian Baker, Livia Maciel, Joe Murillo and Armando Vega-Perez from Caruso Dancesport in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. Deirdre Baker will provide costumes from Deirdre of London.

 In addition to the local ballroom dance competition, Ohio Star Ball Professional Latin Champions, Roman Kutskyy and Anna Kovalova, will perform a ballroom show dance exhibition.

 The judges for the 2010 Reach for the Stars ballroom dance competition will be Frank Cerabino and Leslie Gray Streeter from The Palm Beach Post, and former NYC Ballet dancer and dance photographer Steve Caras from Palm Beach Dramaworks. The evening will once again be emceed by Tim Byrd (“The Byrdman”), president of VOXPOWER.COM.

Guests will begin the evening at the Cohen Pavilion, Gimelstob Ballroom for the ballroom dance competition. Following the presentation of the coveted mirror ball trophies, guests will move from the Cohen Pavilion to the Dreyfoos Hall lobbies to enjoy the food, wine tasting and a dance floor all their own.

Reach for the Stars attendees will have plenty of fuel for the festivities, with a two-hour tasting of gourmet food and wine from more than twenty restaurants and vendors, including: City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill, Echo, Executive Coffee Service, Grease Burger Bar, Ironwood Grille, Kona Grill, McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Palermo Bakery, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Temple Orange at the Ritz Carlton, Palm Beach, Zuccarelli’s and others.

Additional activities for the evening include an exciting raffle with only 400 tickets available for a 7-day cruise for two to Alaska, an excursion for 10 at Bonefish Grill, Boynton Beach,  and a BMW Cruise Bicycle, and a live auction of the winning painting done by Kat Carlton during the annual Reach for the Stars Commemorative Art Contest.  Raffle tickets will be available for purchase prior to and during the event.  Winners do not need to be present.

Reach for the Stars 2010 is presented by the Young Friends of the Kravis Center. The evening begins at 6 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $75 for Young Friends of the Kravis Center, $100 for Non-Young Friends Members and $175 for a VIP Ticket, which includes reserved seating for the dance competition and valet parking. For tickets, please call 561-832-7469 or 800-572-8471 or at www.kravis.org/reachforthestars. 

Sponsors include Marcie Gorman-Althof, David and Ingrid Kosowsky, Hillie Mahoney, Sydelle and Arthur I. Meyer Foundation, Susan Z. Bloom and Jane M. Mitchell.

Additional support is provided by Bonefish Grill, Boynton Beach, Braman Motorcars Palm Beach, Celebrity Cruise Line, Eileen’s Cruise and Travel, Ellison Graphics Corporation, The Palm Beach Post and Phase 9 Design Printing Web.

About the Young Friends of the Kravis Center:?

The Young Friends of the Kravis Center is a giving group of young professionals, 25ish to 49ish, committed to supporting arts and culture in Palm Beach County. The Young Friends organize events throughout the year to support education programs which enable the children of our community to be exposed to the arts. There are many benefits to becoming a member of the Young Friends, including discounts to the popular Reach for the Stars “Dancing for the Stars” Ballroom Dance Competition. For more information, call 561-651-4429.??

About the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts:

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and international artists and companies of the highest quality; by offering comprehensive arts education programs; by providing a Palm Beach County home in which local and regional arts organizations can showcase their work; and by providing economic catalyst and community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. 

The Kravis Center is located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, FL.  For more information, please call 561-832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org/reachforthestars.

For Photos:

To download accompanying image, go to the Kravis Center’s online pressroom at http://pressroom.kravis.org.

Media Contact:

Gary Schweikhart

PR-BS, Inc.

561.756.4298

gary@pr-bs.net