Alumni and family of CHS students go all out for bucks

Votes cast online, tickets sold, sponsor tables secured in support of dance teams and donations at the event following the performances by 10 dedicated fundraisers, brought in the highest amount ever raised for Catholic High School through “Dancing With the Stars — Panther Style.” The total was $343,000 — considered a worthy cause by all who have participated through six seasons of transformation from an idea into a ballroom extravaganza.

The specific amount raised by the winning team, Greg Mullen and Simone Broussard Guillory, was not disclosed and was not the focal point. Like the event, it was a team effort. Everyone involved contributed whether it was an online $1 vote or multiple thousands in table sponsorship.

“The competition for the highest contributor has never been as fierce as this year,” said five-season judge Paul Schexnayder. “Usually there is a clear front-runner, but not this year. New Iberia loves to dress in costume and pretend. It’s like Mardi Gras, Dancing With the Stars and a party all rolled into one. The whole show is like a Vegas show.”

Schexnayder also was paired with former mayor Hilda Curry as the first team out, the first year of the competition. The transformation as the event has grown was awesome, he said. His scorecards for each performance were thematic interpretations of the dance team’s music, costumes and attitudes. Painted symbols equaling the maximum score of 10 would later be given to the performers.

Color commentary by all of the judges was another component of the night’s entertainment with Helen Allain Richthofen and Edward Landry completing the trio. Each gave a light-hearted response to the performances allowing dancers to gain their breath before leaving the stage.

All of the cast members are closely connected to Catholic High as alumna, parents, grandparents, owner pastors or faculty members,” said Jenny Indest Minvielle, CHS development director and project coordinator. “The annual event supports three areas of school need — tuition assistance, facilities improvements and endowment funds.”

The DWTS event has helped CHS raise more than $1.25 million since its inception in 2012. Each year the dance team raising the most money for the school is awarded the prized mirror-ball trophy. A fan favorite also receives recognition voted on by the fans in attendance without monetary consideration.

Best Class Reunion

Halfway through the evening as the crowd of more than 1,300 mingled in and outside the ballroom, the blinking light pins worn by alumna made it obvious — DWTS is the best way to celebrate a reunion. Classmates dating back to St. Peter’s College and Mt. Carmel Academy days — when the men and women were taught in separate locations — shared stories with friends and strangers about their lives at school and as former members of DWTS.

“I’m the first winner,” said the Rev. Mark Derise. The first mirror-ball trophy sits in his office at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Scott. “I actually was a dancer 2 minutes and 37 seconds of my life. It took about five months to prepare.”

Sydney Jo LeBlanc was in the cast of season two and Heidi Viator from season three has six children who have graduated from CHS, two still attending. They organized an annual cast reunion, in its second year, that brought former team members together prior to the gala. The soul sisters felt the need to gather with former teammates to reminisce and catch up on news. Performers are often unknown or in name only before rehearsals but become best of friends after months of grueling effort.

Seen in the crowd supporting family and friends were CHS alumnus Mike Tarantino, president & CEO of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation. He was a dancer in the 2015 season. Last year he made an encore performance, the 2016 cast opened this year.

“Most of the folks have never done this before,” Tarantino said. “The choreographers do such a great job. You watch it on television where they do a different dance or two a week and I don’t know how they do that. It took me three or four months to do just one dance. It’s going to be good.”

Returning for the sixth straight year as emcee was Taylor Barras, along with his co-host of the past few years, Betts Theriot.

“It has been an incredible witness to watch it grow to this level,” Barras said. “When we did the first one, they were not sure how successful it would be to have participants dancing in front of their friends and family for all the world to see. More gratifying is the financial support that the participants and their family have given. It’s incredible and raises a great deal of money for a great cause.”

His son is an alumnus being cultivated as a future dancer.

District Attorney Bo Duhe’s family was out in force to support his performing son, Sean Benoit, and partner Lauren Ritter Tucker. Both alumna dancers and their choreographer Monica LaNasa are from New Orleans, the first out-of-town team to travel back for the gala. Tucker said a lot of her friends were traveling in just to see the performance.

Not all of the attendees had CHS connections except through friendships and family relations. One first time attendee said she had been invited to the reveal — an early event when the cast is announced. She had no idea one of her friends sent the invitation so was caught off guard when the cast was introduced.

Increased Competition

Only two awards are presented at the end of the night. However, the committee could consider other team recognitions.

Judges observations, cast members and friends all agreed the most improved would go to Ricky Gonsoulin, who started practicing in November with his partner, Alicia Lasseigne Mayeux, the only CHS faculty member in the cast. As a novice, Gonsoulin had a lot to learn but was a true crowd-pleaser with their performance early Friday night.

In second place for the same award might be Hester Patout Bourdier, who said rehearsals required other new experiences like palates, chiropractic care and psychotherapy. Comments from Judge Landry proved she had accomplished the task of preparation through a winning performance with partner Christopher McGowen.

Best Costume might be hard to pick — much like the fierce competition of four teams closely matched for the fan favorite. All of the teams were creative in their approach to their performances with selection of music, choreography and costumes — many with props and costume changes.

Best Table Decorations would be a toss up as well with centerpieces and giveaways for guests matching the theme of each dance team. Benoit and Tucker were possibly the most elaborate with the Duck Dance flowers and hunting paraphernalia adorning the tables in different arrangements. Boots, binoculars, decoys, cattails and more made it easy to see where to sit and cheer for that team.

Fan Favorites Smitty Smith and Johnetta Viator LaSalle made carnival come to life with popcorn, peanuts and more at their tables. Versatility may have assisted LaSalle and Smith winning Fan Favorite. Not only did their choreography include stunts and swings, trampoline, unicycle riding, flips and splits, but a double-decker dress change was incorporated into their routine. The crowd never knew what circus performance would come next in the short routine.

Similar in snacks and giveaways were Rene Simon and Martha Escuriex Girouard with their sugar plum, candy man theme, another favorite fan performance.

Brenon Fremin and Nicole Jordan Guidry nearly filled one end of the ballroom with their family and friends. His face predominantly displayed in the middle of the table made it easy to find on the far side from the gala entrance door. KC and the Sunshine Band, The Temptations and other albums set the pop star theme carried over from the team’s costumes depicting Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears.

Best Surprise Performance Elements were in abundance but none more surprising than the final team. But prior to them, second year mirror-ball trophy winner Jerry Shea Sr., 91, made a surprise entrance carrying his award escorting his son-in-law’s partner, Simone Broussard Guillory. Greg Mullen didn’t waste any time claiming the title for another Shea win as the music started for a Motown tribute including a costume reveal. Mullen’s best costume piece didn’t make it to the performance — gratefully. Never the less, fans enjoyed the floating goldfish in the platform heals he wore pre-show.

Best CHS Spirit award had no competition considering Holly Hoffpauir Tracy and Dustin Anthony, both 2003 graduates, wore CHS cheerleader and basketball player uniforms. Anthony wore the same number he had while playing football for CHS.

The surprise of the night may have been in the finale when Keefe Duhon took an offstage concealed dressing room moment to become Beyoncé Knowles. The hip-hop duo performance by Duhon and last-minute replacement partner Kenya Tutt Semar was a show stopper — no wonder they were the last to perform before intermission and vote counting.

Choreographer Robin Bourne used great imagination to bring this team to the level of performance they showed after only about a month of rehearsals. He is a future parent of CHS students now attending St. Edward School, where another former season performer is principal.

Karen Freyou Bonin was in attendance not only as a CHS alumnae and DWTS alumna, she was there to cheer for her sister, Jenny Freyou Schopp and partner Dr. Gerard Sigue — the third couple in some form of gold lamé costuming. She was a dancer in season one.

“It was a sold out show and everyone was trying to volunteer after all the tickets sold just so they could get in,” Bonin said. “When you can have a fun night that pulls the alumni, current parents, faculty — the whole community together in an event that fully benefits the school — the bottom line is it benefits the kids. It’s a win-win situation.”

Family Traditions

Conceived by Suzy Shea Kimball, niece of the winning Shea from season two and cousin to this year’s winner’s wife, Ellen Shea Mullen, family tradition is part of the CHS heritage. No wonder the air of familiarity was part of the excitement throughout the Pavilion at Cypress Bayou Casino • Hotel.

One of this year’s winners could win the award for oldest contestant. Speaking about herself, Guillory said she is not only an alumna of Mt. Carmel Academy and the parent of CHS graduates, she is a CHS grandparent, too.

Choreographers

It goes without saying, without the talents of the dance professionals working with both beginning dancers as well as others with long-past experience, there would be no fundraising gala that has tripled in audience size in six years.

Escorted onto the stage with their teams during introductions and standing with them as judges gave comments, the creative partners responsible for coaching the teams for season six are as follows. Kaci Beaullieu, Angie Blanchard, Robin Borne, Andrea Chatagnier, Stephanie Robinson Gonsoulin, Monica Lanasa, Kallie Barras Landry, Kayla Ledet, Amanda Martin and Paige Hebert Snay.

Beaullieu, a CHS parent, coached the winners of the mirror-ball trophy. Snay coached the circus team winning Fan Favorite.

Mutual appreciation abounded and support was welcome in every way especially with date conflicts pulling school parents in multiple directions.

“A great evening was had by all,” said Jed LeBlanc following the performances. “Catholic High was doubly supported by people even though they had a softball game and baseball game tonight. The money they made was one of a kind.”

Although LeBlanc considers dancing with his children to be the highlight of his potential competitive life, he said, “I would dance next year.”