The evening starts with a Dancing with your Stars locals competition. What do you get when you take six local stars, pair them with six professional ballroom dancers, and give them one week to practice? A Dancing with your Stars – Methow Valley style.

 TICKETS ONLINE HERE

The winner is selected by a combination of judge and audience votes. Play your part and come out to support your favorite. We encourage you to book your tickets soon as we expect to sell out!

Announcing our stars: Reigning champ Tori Karpenko will compete against Molly Patterson (Glover Street Market,) Jason Paulsen (Methow Conservancy), Dea Luvon, Missi Smith (Merc Playhouse and Jacob Young (Old Schoolhouse Brewery.) Judges include Danbert Nobacon, Dana Stromberger and Jamie Petitto!  

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MISSI SMITH

Missi Smith has been involved in performing arts the majority of her life and is currently the Executive Director at The Merc Playhouse. This marks Missi’s first experience in ballroom dancing, but she has been twisting, shimmying, and spinning onstage (in heels) since a very young age.  

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JACOB YOUNG

Raised in a conservative environment where dancing was off-limits, I’ll never forget falling asleep secretly listening to hip hop on a $5 pair of yard sale headphones and falling in love with all things music. After college, I landed a job guiding luxury cycling vacations around the world and started a successful yoga retreat business. The Methow Valley has been a special place for me since the late 90s, when I used to come out to rock climb, mountain bike & recreate in the area, and I am excited to live here and be a part of this vibrant community. (Jacob is the co-owner of Old School House Brewery and OSB Taproom in Winthrop and Twisp, WA.)

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JASON PAULSEN

Seeking to overcome the crippling dance anxieties that have plagued him since High School, Jason once again finds himself unable to say no to a good cause.  An ardent believer that “who you know” is more important than “what you know”, Jason enters this competition banking on the promise of a patient dance partner and solid turn-out from his good-humored (and vocal) Methow Conservancy fan base. (Jason is the executive director of the Methow Conservancy in Winthrop, WA.)

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TORI KARPENKO

Professional dance training? Zilch. But who cares? Just dance for the joy of it. Originally from the exotic deep interior also known as Nebraska, Tori moved to the Methow in 2001. He’s worked for a number of non-profits and built a bunch of things over the years, most recently as Director of Campus Operations at TwispWorks. When not with his son or wandering in the mountains, he paints and creates sculptures. And he’s left-handed.

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DEA LUVON

Dea dreams of living in a world where swinging bars and rings hang from all ceilings, where yoga balls roll on all floors, where we nurture each other with daily massages, and where the mugs of warm, cozy drinks never ever run empty.   (In the meantime, she loves dancing wherever she can, homeschooling her kids and romping in the hills with her sweetie and their dogs.)

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MOLLY PATTERSON

With three teenage boys, Molly doesn’t get a lot of free time. But in spare stolen moments she likes to ride her horse into the backcountry, cook fabulous meals for friends, raft southwestern rivers with her family, and watch her kids swim and play basketball and baseball. Molly has no formal dance experience, but is always game for a good time. (Molly owns Glover Street Market in Twisp and co-owns Patterson Design Build with her husband.)

UtahBallroomDance.brownpapertickets.com

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DATE: Sat, Jan 25, 7pm. Doors open at 6:15 for pre-event dance party and ticket sales. LOCATION: The Winthrop Barn. TICKETS: Reserved/$28. (We expect to sell out!); Adult Advance/$18, Adult Door/$21; Students/$8. Twisp Daily Business, Riverside Printing in Winthrop, Methow Arts and online soon at UtahBallroomDance.brownpapertickets.com. CONTACT: Methow Arts (.org), 509.997.4004, info@methowartsalliance.org

(Photo above of 2014’s Dancing with Your Stars featuring our local contestants and champion Tori Karpenko.