A group of stars from the Columbia Gorge will once again take the dance floor by storm as the ninth annual Dancing With The Gorge Stars (DWTGS) competition returns to The Dalles High School at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13.
Like every year, the event is being put on by Mid-Columbia Community Concert Association (MCCCA) and will feature six “stars” from around the Gorge. This year’s contestants will be Carmen Myers, Adolfo Mollinedo, David Wring, Tara Pray, Hilda Nelson and Mike Nagle. For more information about DWTGS and the Gorge stars, visit mccca.info.
Carmen Myers is the manager of Columbia Bank’s The Dalles branch. According to her bio on MCCCA’s website, she was born and raised in The Dalles but she currently lives in Dallesport. She loves running and runs at least a 5K every day, which she has done for four years. She also does marathon training and ran the Chicago Marathon in October. Despite her passion for running and physical activity, however, Myers said she doesn’t have an interest or background in dancing.
“I tried Zumba many years ago and learned I have zero coordination when it comes to dancing,” she said. “However, I’m excited for this opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and see what I can do!”
Myers expressed that her main goal isn’t winning, it’s raising money for a good cause — as all funds go to help fund MCCCA — and to do something she wouldn’t normally do. Though she’s often described as quiet or shy, she said she can be funny and witty when she wants to be. Because of this, she rated her ability to entertain people at a four out of 10.
Adolfo Mollinedo is the owner and winemaker at Tierra de Lobos Winery in The Dalles. He loves yoga, hiking and skiing, but also has a passion for dancing. According to his bio, he previously took flamenco lessons in Portland and he wants to return to professional dancing again soon.
“I have a couple of classes that I’ll be taking in Portland through the winter and a trip or two outside the U.S. to refine my dance skills,” Mollinedo said. “Dancing is a form of art and something that brings a lot of joy, and I’d love to share more of that with the world soon.”
Mollinedo said his biggest goals are to have fun and share one of his passions with the people of The Dalles. As far as his ability to entertain the audience, Mollinedo ranked himself a 10 out of 10.
“I’m an entertainer at heart and love making people smile,” he said.
David Wring is a 22-year-old physical education teacher at St. Mary’s Academy in The Dalles, where he has lived since 2009. His bio says he is planning to go back to school next year to finish his bachelor’s degree and get his master’s degree in elementary education. Wring enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, and any kind of sport, though he admits he doesn’t have much of an interest in dancing. Instead, he implies that his participation was due in part to his parents, who own Smoke Wring BBQ in town.
“I was ‘volun-told’ by some of the parentals in my life,” Wring said. “I accepted because I wasn’t sure what would happen if I didn’t.”
Despite this, Wring expressed his confidence in his ability, saying he expected to win, “no exceptions” and ranking his ability to entertain the audience a 10 out of 10.
“I’m the best, plain and simple,” he said.
Tara Pray is the administrator of the Oregon Veterans Home, but she’s also a member of the Dufur City Council, a member of the Veterans Care Centers of Oregon board, and a single mom of four kids. She enjoys yoga, running and reading, as well as being involved in her kids’ sports team. Though she hasn’t danced much before, she said she’s excited to give it a try.
“I love learning new things and also being physical, so the two pair perfectly through dance,” she said.
Pray said her acceptance of the invitation to participate in DWTGS was equal parts peer pressure and her goal to become a more involved and supportive community member. The main thing she wants from the event is to meet new people, learn a new skill and have fun.
Pray rated her ability to entertain the audience a five out of 10, “based solely on the fact that my awkwardness may provide some entertainment value,” she said.
Hilda Nelson was born in Florida and raised an Air Force Brat. They settled in The Dalles when she was 4, but moved away multiple times. However, Nelson said she always finds her way back to her roots. In fact, her mother, now 85 years old, lives in the house that Nelson grew up in.
For the last eight years, Nelson worked at The Dalles Athletic Club (formerly Gorge Athletic Club). For two of those years, she was the manager, but now she is setting off to “pursue new ventures,” she said. She is looking into finishing her college degree and is thinking about being an event planner or gym owner.
Nelson loves horse riding, having two horses herself, and also loves dancing. She spent most of her childhood involved in tap, gymnastics, ballet and jazz, but as an adult she didn’t dance much, she said, despite the fact that her mother had always been a dancer. That changed in 2014, however.
“I moved back to The Dalles in 2014 and started line dancing,” she said. “That was the end of that — I was hooked. I gradually progressed from there.”
Nelson said her biggest goals were having fun and harassing fellow dancer Mike Nagle, who has been her friend for years. Though she’s an introvert, she loves the DWTGS event, having attended multiple times as an audience member.
Mike Nagle is the owner of and barber at Uppercut Barber Shop in The Dalles, where he’s been a barber for about 13 years, he said. He enjoys alpine skiing, bike-riding, and playing the clarinet, which he does in the Gorge Winds Concert Band. Unsurprisingly, he also loves to dance.
Nagle has been line dancing since the ‘90s, he said, and he started partner dancing around 20 years ago and “found a true passion.” He’s learned many styles of dance — from the nightclub two-step to the waltz — and he’s considered to be at the intermediate level.
He’s been interested in DWTGS for the last several years, Nagle said, as it’s “not a secret that dance makes me happy!” Though he’s excited, he expects to be very nervous and full of stage fright, which is why he ranked his ability to entertain as a two out of 10.
Nonetheless, his biggest goals are to have fun, dance with professional dancers and help fundraise for the concert association.
“I want to support the MCCCA and am honored to participate,” he said.
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