Meet the Dancers!
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
The next Dancing with the Stars of Darlington County fundraising event for Pee Dee Coalition Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault will be held on Thursday, January 28 at the Center Theater in Hartsville, and the 13 dance team pairs have been hard at work perfecting their routine. Each local celebrity is paired with a professional dancer, and the pair will compete for the winner of the event, and the People’s Choice Award winner from votes purchased by fans before and during the event. The public is invited to vote for their favorite couple for the People’s Choice Award at the DWTS website www.darlingtoncountydancingwiththestars.com.
The event is a major fundraising effort to raise money for Pee Dee Coalition to assist victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
The sixth in the series introducing the pairs are the dance teams of: Jordan Pupa (Professional) & Edward “Spider” George (Celebrity) and Jaimie Cranford (Professional) & Mark Lewallen (Celebrity).
ordan Pupa (Professional) & Edward “Spider” George (Celebrity) – Dance Style: Lindy Hop
Photo by Steve Roos
Jordan Pupa:
Jordan is a 2008 graduate of Hartsville High School where she spent her Friday nights cheering on the Red Foxes from the sidelines. She is a 2011 graduate of Clemson University with a BS in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. She formerly worked in the hospitality industry at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, GA, but is now currently enjoying the start of her third year as an Admissions Counselor at Coker College. She enjoys working out, baking, cheering on the Tigers, and Mexican food. Jordan started dancing at the age of five, and continued dancing all the way through high school. She danced competitively for 9 years with Tip Tap Toe and KSPA, and has experience in the areas of tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, and hip-hop. She also had the fun opportunity to take a shag class for college credit at Clemson.
After hearing that South Carolina is ranked #1 in the U.S. for deadly violence against women, Jordan is glad to be dancing for such a good cause and hopes the funding raised will make a major impact. She is looking forward to the excitement of taking the stage again, this time performing a genre she has no experience in, the Lindy Hop!
Edward “Spider” George:
“Spider” was born and raised in Darlington County, and attended Darlington County schools. He has been married for 33 years, and has four daughters and five grandchildren. At the age of 18, he started his car-detailing career at Lynches Auto Sales in Pine Ridge. He continued at the age of 19 at Perry Morris Motors from 1976-1986. After this time, he opened the very first Quality Car Care in Hartsville, SC. Continuing his 30-year vision and love for cars, he is the owner of Quality Car Care, Spider BP, and Spider Checkered Flag Auto Sales.
The decision to participate and support the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault was an easy one for “Spider” to make; his love for his mother, sisters, wife, and daughters combined with his love and concern for helping others.
Jaimie Cranford (Professional) & Mark Lewallen (Celebrity) – Dance Style: Jive Photo by Steve Roos
Jaimie Cranford:
The Center Theater stage has been a second home to this young lady! A native of Hartsville, Jaimie grew up dancing competitively at Brenda Cranford School of Dance. She currently studies English and Political Science at Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, where she is continuing her dance training.
When Jaimie is home, her passions include choreography and teaching to pass on her love for the art.
Jaimie shared that she is “thrilled to be a part of an event that spreads awareness for such an important cause. Dance is often rooted in humanitarian efforts and advocacy, which is what makes this event such an honor to be a part of.”
Mark Lewallen:
“I am pleased to participate in the third annual Dancing with the Stars of Darlington County benefiting the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault. I am a native of Florence County and have traveled the world and lived in many places in my 19 years with Sonoco. My current assignment is the in the role of Director of Finance for Global Paper. I’m never one to miss an opportunity to have a good time and thought participating in DWTS would be a great opportunity to have fun while raising money for a very good cause. I love to ham it up so dancing the Jive with my excellent and talented partner, Jaimie Cranford, should come naturally; however, I’m not professionally trained like Jaimie so she has her hands full. I reside in Florence with my wife, Monica (the real dancer in the family) and sons Pearson (freshman at Wofford), Gordon (Junior at West Florence HS), and Barley (our English springer spaniel). While I agreed to do this, I was not sure what I signed on for but I will do the best I can with what little talent I have – and have fun doing it.”
This year’s event will be held Thursday, January 28, 2016 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Center Theater in Hartsville. It will feature an “Old Hollywood” theme with dances, decorations and items reminiscent of the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s.
The Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault is a non-profit, volunteer based organization serving eight counties in the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina. Sadly, South Carolina ranks #1 in the United States for deadly violence against women. The Pee Dee Coalition hopes you will join them in this fundraising effort.
For more information, call 843-206-1838 or email DarlingtonCountyDWTS@gmail.com.
Visit their website: www.darlingtoncountydancingwiththestars.com to vote for your favorite couple for the People’s Choice Award.
Tickets for General Admission will be on sale at Burry Bookstore and Carolina Bank in Hartsville. Tickets are $45 each and will be on sale at those locations until 12 p.m. on Thursday, January 28. There will be no ticket sales at the door the night of the event.
