Dancing with the Stars, T-Bird Style

Published: February 16, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes

Southern Utah University’s very own stars are preparing to dance on the big stage in the fourth annual Dancing with the Stars campus competition. And with just one final practice day before the big showdown, the participants are practicing round the clock.

This year’s performance of Dancing with the Stars promises to be the most exciting yet.

A mix of students, faculty and staff make up the eight total stars that will be performing in the upcoming competition, which will take place Wednesday, February 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Centrum Arena.

This year’s stars include: Mindy Benson, director of SUU Alumni Relations; Matt Schmidt, associate professor of human nutrition; Quinn Mortensen, assistant director of University Admissions; Beverly Anderson, administrative assistant of University Housing; Amber Haller, student; Heidi Eysser, LDSSA Activities vice president; Jeff Kinsel, SUUSA chief of staff; and Kady Welch, Alpha Phi vice president.

Heidi Eysser, one of the student stars, says she is very excited about her dance as well as the entire event: “I’ve always wanted to try something different and new, and it looks like this is it.” She says her partner, Jose Esquievel, has prepared her well. “We’re in it to win it. We’ve been practicing a lot, and have unleashed some serious skills.”

For Beverly Anderson, Dancing with the Stars is a challenge that she is eager to take on. “I am intimidated to be trying to move around the stage at my age,” she says. Anderson explains that she is very talented when it comes to performing the “Bunny Hop,” but ballroom dance takes a little more refinement.

Though the event promises fun and entertainment, there have been some challenges for the stars in their own preparations.

“It has been frustrating as can be – to see what it should look like, to feel like I can do it, and then find out that my body just doesn’t move that way anymore,” says Anderson.

For Eysser, the struggle comes in trying to avoid injury. After a recent knee operation, she is still in recovery. “The real challenge for me has been trying to overcome the physical restrictions of my knee,” she says.

Will Beverly channel her inner youth? Will Heidi’s knee prove her Achilles heel? Find out this Wednesday at SUU’s 2010 Dancing with the Stars.

Tickets, which are $6 for students and $8 for general admission, are available in the Centrum Arena Box Office, online at suu.edu/arts, or by calling 435-865-7872.

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