WINDHAM – At last year’s inaugural “Dancing with the Staff” competition at Windham High School, alter egos were on prime display, encouraged by a roomful of students and community members enjoying a side of their teachers and administrators that usually remains hidden.

This year’s competition, which features eight teams of two staff members each representing schools throughout the district, will be no different. With dancers’ goal to stick out in the minds of audience members, the teams will be doing their best to one-up one another in an effort to come away as the overall champion.

More than 1,600 people attended last year’s event, which is styled after ABC’s hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” but a “little spoofier,” says director Mary Wassick.

With the inaugural edition a hit with locals, Wassick expects a similarly large audience for this year’s competition, which takes place in the Performing Arts Center at the Windham High School over the course of two Wednesday evenings, Jan. 12 and Jan. 26, starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and all proceeds go to Windham High School’s Project Graduation 2012.

Fun time had by all

Tom Nash and Debbie Hall competed to a respectable – and, by all accounts, memorable – second-place finish last year, and they are back again for this year’s edition. For one of their numbers, the two came out of opposite sides of the stage wearing “Mrs. Doubtfire” costumes – wigs, aprons and all – and jamming their air guitar to “Dude Looks Like a Lady” by Aerosmith, much to the audience’s delight.

“I’m very outgoing and personable, same with Tom, but this brought out a side of us I don’t think anybody has ever seen. But we had a blast,” said Hall, who serves as a secretary at Windham Middle School.

While she wouldn’t tip her hand regarding costume or music choice out of fear of giving the competition a leg up, Hall said this year’s routine should be similarly memorable.

“I don’t think it’s anything anyone is going to expect from us,” she said. “If everything goes as planned, the crowd will certainly enjoy it. We aim to entertain – that’s the whole purpose.”

Nash, the Windham Adult Education director, who said all the teams work hard with a professional choreographer, perfecting their skills for about a month prior to the competition, is looking forward to the event. It brings employees of the sprawling school community closer together, he said, and gets the greater community involved, as well.

“I love to dance. I’ve done some theater. But I think what I like best is seeing all the people come together for a good cause,” Nash said. “It’s a K-through-adult-ed venture, and it’s nice to be a part of that.”

The woman responsible for making sure the two nights of competition go off without a hitch is Wassick, who is also a longtime Windham Center Stage Theater director and former school board member.

In 2010, Wassick heard about the event being done successfully in other towns, including Gorham and Westbrook, and wanted to debut it in Windham. Her daughter, Shelbi, graduated last June and participated in Windham’s Project Graduation 2011 trip, which paid for about 140 seniors to attend Adventure Bound in Caratunk the day after graduation.

“We expected to make a little money, and thought maybe a couple hundred people would show up,” Wassick said. “But with 800 in the audience each night last year, that far exceeded any of our expectations.”

She has no children in this year’s graduating class, but Wassick enjoyed producing the competition and agreed to direct again, wanting to see the event grow even more popular and bring more money to Project Graduation, which provides a chemical-free post-graduation party for seniors.

“It’s just such a tremendous fundraiser for Project Graduation,” Wassick said. “We raised $10,000 last year so it’s overwhelmingly successful. And everyone has such a good time up on stage. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Unlike the ABC show, which factors in scoring from a panel of three judges as well as millions of television viewers, Windham’s version gives all the power to the audience. Each audience member is handed a ballot upon entering to the auditorium and votes for their favorite dancing duo after each team has completed both of their dance routines.

While last year’s competition didn’t feature a theme, dancers are to choose Broadway music for the first dance of this year’s competition. The second dance is “open,” allowing teams to choose whatever they want. Then, at the end of the first night, two teams will be sent home. The remaining six teams will come back for a second performance on Jan. 26, where the audience will vote for an overall winner.

Teachers and staff of RSU 14 are readying their dance routines
for the upcoming Dancing with the Staff competition, a fundraising
event for Project Graduation. The teams gathered in the auditorium
at Windham High School on Wednesday, Jan. 3, for a run-through.
Matthew Ryder, the drama coach at Windham High School, and Rebecca
Cole, a first-grade teacher at Windham Primary School, practice
their dance routine in the back of the auditorium. (Photos by Rich
Obrey)
Choreographer Nikki Gribbin works on dance steps with Andrea
Lavigne, a fifth grade teacher at Manchester School.
Jason Lanoie, a technology teacher at Windham Middle School,
found a special pair of dancing shoes on eBay.