Meet the Dancers!

Dancing with the Stars of Darlington County fundraiser for Pee Dee Coalition

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 event is a major fundraising effort to raise money for Pee Dee Coalition to assist victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
The first in the series introducing the pairs are the dance teams of Jay Lucas and his professional dance partner Shelia Schmotzer, and Lyles Huntley and her professional dance partner Lukas Glenn.

Jay Lucas with Sheila Schmotzer Photo by Steve Roos

Jay Lucas with Sheila Schmotzer
Photo by Steve Roos

Jay Lucas:
House Speaker Jay Lucas was born and raised in Hartsville and has dedicated his life to public service. Jay was elected to present South Carolina District 65 in 1998 after former state Representative Michael Baxley retired. Given a Republican had not represented this district since Reconstruction, Jay’s election was an uphill battle. After winning by a mere 32 votes, former House Speaker David Wilkins and many of his colleagues nicknamed Jay “Landslide Lucas.” Jay was selected by his colleagues to serve as House Speaker in December 2014. He played a vital role the passage of a domestic violence bill that was signed by Governor Haley in June. This new law protects families from senseless abuse by increasing penalties and instituting harsher punishments for offenders. Jay is a proud Gamecock who received a bachelor’s degree in political science, master’s degree in public administration, and law degree all from the University of South Carolina. Aside from practicing law in Hartsville and serving as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Jay is a movie buff and an avid Gamecock fan. He and his wife Tracy have been married for 25 years and have a son named Will, who they both believe is their biggest accomplishment.

Sheila Schmotzer:
Sheila is the owner and director of Dizzy Dancin Dance Studio in Hartsville. She’s proud to say her studio has worked with and contributed to the Pee Dee Coalition’s wonderful parent/child services at the Durant Children’s Center of Hartsville in her years as Director. In addition to her successful business, Sheila is a former captain of the NCAA Dance Team, TCU “Showgirls” and has two degrees in Dance Associate of Fine Arts Bachelor of Arts. She was on South Carolina Arts Commision’s Approved Artist Roster.

Her studio has won 7 National titles, appeared on Season 4 of Lifetime’s hit TV show, Dance Moms. She is also an accomplished actress, and is a member of the IMDb having worked on shows “Army Wives”, “Under the Dome”, HBO’s “Vice Principals” and “Magic Mike XXL”. Most recently, she was cast and danced in a scene with Adam Sandler for the upcoming movie coming out in 2016 “The Do Over.” She and her husband, Dan Schmotzer, are the parents of three children, Jereme, Mimi and Raegan.

Lyles Huntley with Lukas Glenn Photo by Steve Roose

Lyles Huntley with Lukas Glenn
Photo by Steve Roose

Lyles Huntley:
Lyles was born and raised in Darlington County, and is proud to work amongst the community and her family as a managing partner at Fastrack Stores: Home of Hunt Bonz’ Deli. She is the daughter of Tim and Nancy Huntley, has a brother named Roddy Huntley, and a perfect dog she adores named June Carter Cash. She is a member of Swift Creek Baptist Church in Hartsville. After graduating from Mayo High School for Math, Science, & Technology, she attended Clemson University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. Go Tigers! Lyles taught 2nd grade for two years at Washington Street Elementary in Hartsville before she joined her family’s business, where she enjoys striving to provide the local community with southern food, expediency, and quality service. She is honored to participate in this year’s event to support the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault. Helping others in need is her passion and this organization reaches out to victims in our community that urgently need our help.

Lukas Glenn:
Lukas moved from Newport, TN to Hartsville with his family in May of 2012. He works at Sonoco Products as a Lab Technician. He enjoys all things music, running outdoors, and binge-watching shows on Netflix. “I chose to participate in this great event to help spread awareness with the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault,” said Lukas. “It’s very heartbreaking that South Carolina is ranked #1 in such an awful category. I hope this event helps educate people on how to assist those in need and prevent these crimes from happening.

This year’s event will be held Thursday, January 28, 2016 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: darlingtoncountydancingwiththestars.com

Author: Duane Childers

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