Meet the Dancers!
The 4th Annual 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 26, 2017 at the Center Theater in Hartsville, and the 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. 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.
Sponsors for the event are: Curry and Debbie Dawkins, West Oil, Hartsville Family Dentistry, North Industrial Machine, St. Luke United Methodist Church, Kiwanis Club of Hartsville, Raceway Ford and Chevrolet, Better Homes & Gardens Segars Realty, Fastrack Stores, Inc., Indigo Salon and Day Spa, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Schock.
The third in the series introducing the pairs are the dance teams of:
• Natalie Elsesser (Professional) & Blade Boulware (Celebrity). Their dance style is Merengue; choreographer is Vera Dubose.
• Brandi Wheeler (Pro) & Cal Wheeler (Celebrity). Their dance style is Rhumba; choreographer is Caleb Roberts.
Natalie Elsesser (Professional) & Blade Boulware (Celebrity). Their dance style is Merengue; choreographer is Vera Dubose.
Natalie Elsesser is a 15 year old freshman IB student at Hartsville High School. She is a very well rounded girl; she loves fashion, travel, art, owns a 300 lb. pig, is involved with her church, and has been dancing with Brenda Cranford School of Dance for 10 years. Natalie is a member of the Elite Jazz, Tap, and Contemporary dance teams.
Blade Boulware is a native of Columbia, S.C., and is a piano major at Coker College. Blade is the organist for the First Baptist Church in Hartsville. He enjoys dancing, having danced at Celestial Stars Dance Academy. Blade is currently a member of the Coker College Spirit Squad, and has been part of the many musical productions at Coker.
Choreographer Vera Katharina DuBose is a local costume designer and artist. She has worked on multiple stage productions for Coker College and the University of South Carolina. Internships have allowed her to work with the New York City Ballet Costume Shop and the National Opera House of Hamburg, Germany. Vera has danced all her life. She pursued a professional career as a dancer but eventually had to change plans due to hip issues. Since then, she has discovered her love for Latin and ballroom dancing, and has competed for several years in Germany with her dance partner, Chris Scharte, and in several Latin dance teams. She is excited and honored to be a part of DWTS Darlington County for the second year in a row.
Brandi Wheeler (Pro) & Cal Wheeler (Celebrity). Their dance style is Rhumba; choreographer is Caleb Roberts.
Brandi Wheeler is a local business owner and Hartsville native. She has owned Brandi’s on College since 2001 after taking over operations from her grandmother who started in the business in 1955. She is married to Cal Wheeler, and they have 2 ½ year old boy, Hatch. Brandi enjoys fashion, boating, fishing, dancing, skinny dipping, and playing with Hatch. Brandi has danced since childhood. During college, Brandi danced with the Robert Ivy Company in Charleston, S.C.
Cal Wheeler grew up in Hartsville, graduated from Hartsville High School, attended Presbyterian College, and practiced Real Estate in Hartsville for 16 years. He owns Vintage Craft Beer and Wine Bar. Cal says he has no formal dance training, but has a few good moves. He aspires to one day be like Patrick Swayze.
Choreographer Caleb Roberts graduated from South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities; from there, he continued his training at N.C. School of Arts under Ethan Stiefel. After training at NCSA, he moved on to dance with The Boston Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet as a professional. Caleb is now a Guest Principal dancer for companies such as Lincoln Nebraska Ballet, Savannah Ballet, and CMFA. He also runs and owns a pre-professional ballet studio in Hartsville called The Studio. Caleb is happily married to his beautiful wife, Axia Mercedez Roberts, and they have a 18 month baby girl named Aila Marie Roberts.