The team of Trace Hansen and Karri Morgan won the 2024 Dancing With the Stars for Charity on Saturday, March 23, at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center. They danced for Joe’s Kids and the Smithstrong Foundation Fund. Shown from left are Joe’s Kids Executive Director Rebecca Bazzoni, Hansen, Morgan and WCHS student Victoria Peloza. Peloza choreographed Hansen’s and Morgan’s dances.

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By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Trace Hansen and Karri Morgan have topped a local dancing competition while supporting two causes.

Their team won the 2024 Dancing With the Stars for Charity on Saturday, March 23, at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center, held again after a hiatus.

“It feels great,” said Morgan, a Claypool Elementary School sixth grade teacher of beating out eight other teams. “I mean we worked so hard for these two charities, but we’ve also grown a really cool friendship.”

“It’s been challenging and fun, and our student choreographers, all of them were phenomenal,” said Hansen, who owns Hansen’s Eastlake Skating Center in Warsaw. “The talent from everybody up on the stage and the energy and fun, it was a great way to bring all of these nonprofits together and just kind of talk about what each of them do and learn more about all of them.”

Each team had one or more choreographers who are WCHS students. Hansen’s and Morgan’s was sophomore Victoria Peloza.

“It was just truly amazing to be a part of this, and they did amazing,” said Peloza, who’s danced competitively for nine years herself. “Every rehearsal was so much fun, and I could not have a better team.”

Hansen and Morgan chose to dance for Joe’s Kids of Warsaw, which provides physical, speech and occupational therapy and tutoring for kids. They also chose the second charity of the Smithstrong Foundation Fund, which benefits Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. students and was created in memory of Hansen’s father-in-law and brother-in-law Charlie Smith and Scott Smith.

Proceeds from ticket sales Saturday benefitted those charities and those of the other teams as well as the WCHS Dance Department and WCHS PAC.

Like the other teams, Hansen and Morgan completed two dance routines before the judges gave scores. Audience members also got to vote via text message.

Hansen and Morgan’s routines included a hip-hop one to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” preceded by Hansen doing some skating, and a ’50s-inspired one.

“Trace is kind of a brother to me now, and so we just kind of connected right off the jumpstart,” said Morgan of what she thought helped them win. “We both have similar energy. We’re kind of wild, willing to do anything, so we just put it all out there.”

“We weren’t afraid to try anything, and Victoria said, ‘Hey, this is what I see, can you guys do it?'” said Hansen. “And we practiced and learned, and it got more and more challenging as we went.”

Placing second Saturday was the team of Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Administrative Assistant Suzanne Stokes and WCHS Senior Class Principal Paul Zakaria, who danced for Kosciusko Community Trap Neuter Return. Their choreographer was Mikey Hertel.

In third was Combined Community Services’ Executive Director Randy Polston and Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts’ Executive Director Lakesha Green, who danced for CCS. Their choreographers were Emma Bradford and Mackenzie Langhorn.

Other teams were: Cardinal Services Director of Development Chris Plack and WCS’ orchestra teacher Angela Dieleman, who danced for Cardinal Services; Lake City Living Magazine owner Shawn Brown and Eisenhower Elementary School Behavior Support Liaison Kayla May, who danced for Magical Meadows; Willie 103.5 host Chris Cage and WCHS teacher Megan Dinse, who danced for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith and WCHS science teacher Emily Gough, who danced for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kosciusko County; attorney and B+B Courthouse Market owner Travis McConnell and attorney and Atelier owner Sea Grandon, who danced for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts; and Kensington Digital Media’s Tommy Meier and Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau Marketing and Communications Director Laura Seney, who danced for Kate’s Kart.

Judges for Saturday’s event were WCHS Principal Troy Akers, Reilly Jaeger, Phil Kuhn and Lee Anne Stewart.