Stepping Out!

Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs’ Head for Brisbane Showdown

An eight-month marathon of early morning dance practices and late-night planning for fundraising events is about to come to an end for the women behind the Whitsundays’ inaugural team of ‘Dancing CEOs’.

On Saturday night, Julie Telford (SeaLink Whitsundays), Kate Purdie (Coral Sea Marina), Candice Crossley (Whitsunday Transit) and Alice Harriott (Whitsunday Family Dental), will step out on stage at Brisbane’s City Hall in a dance contest showdown for a powerful cause.

‘Dancing CEOs’ is the annual flagship fundraiser for Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ), an organisation dedicated to helping women and children impacted by domestic violence through providing wrap-around services and free legal advice.

Dr Alice Harriott said over the past eight months, balancing the contradiction between the enjoyment of dancing and the heart-wrenching seriousness of the cause behind it had sometimes felt like a mental juggling act.

“While we’re busy dancing and organising costumes and props – and having a whole lot of fun doing so – there are literally thousands of women across Queensland desperately needing help from WLSQ to survive – and that is not lost on us, and in fact, is absolutely our ‘why’,” she said.

Mad Dance House Artistic Director, Che Pritchard, who choreographed the Whitsunday team’s dance, said this sense of responsibility to the ‘why’ was evident from the start.

“When I met the ladies way back in October last year, I had no doubt their commitment to the fundraising and the performance was unwavering,” he said.

“As they do in business and in life, they've worked so hard to get to where they are now – which is nailing the routine and having a blast while they do it.”

Living more than 1,000 kilometres away from their choreographer has been just one of the many challenges the team has faced, but in this case, they have been aided by Principal Owner at Chez’s House of Dance in Proserpine, Chez O’Brien.

For the past five months, Ms O’Brien has coached the team for three hours each week, with additional support from Whitsunday Regional Council through use of the stage at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre over the last week.

This year’s eight competing teams of Dancing CEOs have been tasked with raising $41,000 each, as a symbol of WLSQ’s 41 years, and to provide vital funds that will keep its life-saving programs running.

Just as all teams will be vying for a win on the dancefloor, there is competition for the title of highest fundraisers of the year.

‘Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs’ are heading into the big night at the top of the leaderboard, but anything can – and does happen, during the event.

Donations are encouraged via dancingceos.com.au both now and on the night.

For rolling coverage and to watch an event video by the Whitsundays’ ‘Riptide Creative’, follow the ‘Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs’ Facebook Page.

Contributed with thanks to Sharon Smallwood.

Alice Harriott, Julie Telford, Candice Crossley and Kate Purdie, 'Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs'
Final rehearsals at the PEC earlier this week

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