Just seconds before her performance, a somewhat terrified Lynda Hood stood backstage with complicated dance steps running wildly through her mind. Her heart pounded intensely. Her body shook uncontrollably. But noticing a few women sitting in the front row, a calm suddenly washed over her.
“I recognized their faces. They were survivors of sexual violence,” Hood recalls. “And I was there to raise money to help them and others like them. I knew what I had to do – dance my heart out.”
Wearing a glitzy coral costume, Hood composed herself and wowed the Dancing with the Stars Chattanooga audience with a lively performance combining cha-cha, swing and jive dance moves.
DANCING DETAILS
When? Saturday, June 25, from 8 p.m. until midnightWhere? Tivoli TheatreTickets? Tickets range from $21 to $61.50 including admission, cash bar, and dancing after the performances. VIP seats are $125 and include preferred seating and admission to a pre-party reception where guests can meet guest dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.For more information: contact the Partnership at 697-3829 or visit www.partnershipfca.com.
“I didn’t win the dance competition that night,” she says. “But I earned the title, Fan Favorite, for raising the most money prior to the competition. All in all, the other dancers and I raised almost $88,000 for Partnership last year, and we hope to raise even more this year.”