THEY'RE not doctors and they're not scientists, but, by jove, they can jive.
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Nominally, they are the stars of Tamworth; to most, they're familiar faces you might catch pootling down Peel Street.
But on Saturday night at Tamworth Town Hall they pounded the planks beneath garbs grand, glittery and gaudy, and they became stars, heroes and potential lifesavers.
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The 2019 Stars of Tamworth Dance for Cancer raised about $45,000 and with money still pouring-in, the Cancer Council is expecting to collect more than $50,000 from the event.
Cancer Council's North West community relations coordinator Katherine Welsh said the event would not have been possible without the support of Tamworth.
"It was an amazing night and there was a really fantastic vibe which was led by the stars, the dancers and their teachers," she said.
Kellie Singh's dance academy helped train a number of the stars and paid special tribute to eventual judge's choice winner, Kirk Boniecki.
He came to the party with no dancing experience at all and took on the difficult contemporary style.
"He didn't have a gimmick or a prop," she said.
"He had some really difficult lifts and dancing and he just learnt it."
Ms Singh's academy has been a regular supporter of the annual event with dancers donating time to get the stars up to standard typically during the eisteddfod season.
"Our studio, it is a family and so many families have been affected by this disease," she said.
"We're not doctors, or scientists, but we are dancers and can bring some attention to the cause, put our name to it and teach some people to dance."
Sophie Schumann-Maude from Joblink Plus pooled the greatest individual fundraising tally and collected $5500 from the community, a feat she described as surreal.
"Knowing that we've spent so long getting to [Saturday night] and now it's all over is sad in a way, but seeing so how successful our fundraising has been and how much the audience enjoyed themselves was the icing on the cake of an amazing experience," she said.
The winners
- Top fundraiser: Sophie Schumann-Maude
- People's choice: Steve Lasscock
- Judge's choice: Kirk Boniecki