INNISFAIL – They were bustin' a move for a cause.
Innisfail dentist Dr. Isaac Day and his professional dance partner Jinelle Themig, also of Innisfail, competed in the 2019 annual Sheraton Celebrity Dance Off in Red Deer on April 13.
“It was a great experience,” said Day. “I was honoured to be a part of it.”
Day and Themig were one of eight teams that took part in the annual charity fundraiser.
Each year funds raised through the event go towards a different charity, noted Day. Money raised this year went to the Friends of the Red Deer Regional Hospital.
“It’s a really great charity that supports the hospital. It does a lot of the nitty-gritty work and they don’t get a lot of the praise for it,” said Day, noting he and Themig surpassed their fundraising goal.
“We were able to raise $30,000 for this charity. Our goal was to raise $20,000, so we were able to go above that, which is great,” he added. “It just goes to show what a great community we (live) in.”
Themig and Day’s dance routine was a mix that included components of the cha-cha and jazz, noted Day, adding the theme of their routine was a play on a visit to the dentist, where a patient often leaves feeling numb. It was set to The Weekend song Can’t Feel My Face, which contains the line "I can't feel my face when I’m with you."
Preparing for the celebrity dance off included many hours, long days, and a lot of work, said Day.
“It was a lot of fun. It was one of those experiences where I’m glad I did it, I’m glad it’s over and it was a success,” he said, noting several rehearsals with his dance partner over the past several months.
“We practised at Joy’s School of Dance (and) we started practising consistently in January.
“It was pretty intense training,” he added, noting the tough physical requirements. “You need stamina to dance like these dance pros. I underestimated the physical demands (of dancing),” explained Day. “It gave me a whole new appreciation for dancing.”
His hard work paid off, as Day was the only dancer in the event to receive a perfect score of 10 across the board of judges.
The winning team was chosen by popular vote, he noted.
“I could not have done this without the support of my dance pro partner, Jinelle, Joy’s School of Dance and the community, for really getting behind me,” said Day. “I cannot thank Innisfail enough."
