Sunday Dec 13, 2009

Barbara Eden  Joins Gregg Hunter This Week!
"America's favorite Jeannie" in Ballroom with a Twist

Who better to offer audiences a magical evening of entertainment than Barbara Eden, who will host the highly anticipated production of Ballroom with a Twist. A brilliant new dance production that rings in the New Year at the DuPont Theatre January 19-24, 2010. Scott Stander & Associates and The DuPont Theatre proudly announce the signing of 2009 Dancing With the Stars first runner-up Dmitry Chaplin, the blonde & beautiful Chelsie Hightower, and the strikingly magnetic husband and wife team of Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya to headline this extraordinary lineup of talent. Louis van Amstel, a four-time Dancing With the Stars pro, brings ballroom to the stage as he directs and choreographs the pros plus an ensemble of 14 fabulous young dancers from Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and High School Musical. American Idol alumni David Hernandez and Trenyce provide stylish and exciting vocal accompaniment and interludes. This groundbreaking show pushes the boundaries of ballroom dance, infusing it with the energy and intensity of the latest "hip-hop" styles. It is slated to be the only national tour in the 2009 post-DWTS season in which to see these wildly popular dancers triumphantly taking the stage to showcase their sultry moves. Ballroom with a Twist is an extravagant evening of entertainment for the entire family, highlighted by stunning costumes, magnificent music and breathtaking performances. Come out and dance with the stars at the DuPont Theatre!

Barbara Eden, is one of America’s most endearing and enduring stars. She has starred in a score of feature films, five television series, 15 top-rated movies and as a singer, has headlined at many of America’s top hotel resorts and casinos in Tahoe, Atlantic City and Vegas, as well as on concert stages and in theaters across America. Her long-running series “I Dream of Jeannie“ has been on television screens globally for 44 uninterrupted years since beginning its first year network run on NBC in 1965. Today, it continues to be one of the world’s most popular family shows, and is seen every day on cable and in international syndication on TV screens around the globe. The busy star’s recent activities include her starring role as “Florence Unger“ in the national company female version of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple“ and her recurring starring role as the matriarchal Aunt Irma in “Sabrina: The Teenage Witch.”

Louis van Amstel, born in 1972 in Holland, is a professional dancer, choreographer, and a dancesport coach. He is a world championship ballroom dancer, and also known in American pop culture for partnering with celebrities Lisa Rinna, Priscilla Presley, and Monique Coleman in Dancing with the Stars. Louis has also coached 2009 first runner-up Dmitry Chaplin. After retiring from professional ballroom competition, he moved on to choreography and production. He founded the company VanDance, LLC, and directed, produced, choreographed and performed in the Broadway show Latin Fusion. Louis has appeared on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and had a cameo role as himself on ABC's All My Children, where he taught two characters to ballroom dance.

Dmitry Chaplin - This young pro transitioned from So You Think You Can Dance to DWTS last season, when he was paired up with Holly Madison. Dmitry's ballroom dancing career began at the age of 12 in his hometown of Rostov–on-Don in Russia. His perfect combination of technique and performance soon got him noticed by judges and teachers in his home country. After moving to the United States, his commitment to dance brought him to work with some of the best coaches in the ballroom world, including Louis Van Amstel and Shirley Ballas. Dmitry studied in both America and the United Kingdom, and began representing the U.S. at famous ballroom competitions around the world as one of the best dancers in the Under 21 division. In 2006, Dmitry's dance career took a different course when he joined the cast of the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance. He became one of the Top 10 dancers, representing the ballroom world and establishing himself as an audience favorite.

Chelsie Hightower - Only 19 years old, she has been a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance, and in professional competitions has ranked as one of the top three couples in the country. Chelsie has been helping others learn to dance in America and abroad since she was 15.

The glamorous husband and wife team of Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya have been a part of DWTS since its debut in 2005. They are both professional ballroom dancers that teach celebrities how to dance. Although only having danced together for a relatively short time, Jonathan and Anna achieved many high placements in competitions around the world. Jonathan and Anna currently rank 6th in the US and 24th in the world. Together with Anna’s mother, they own the You Can Dance Studio in LA. Jonathan started dancing at the age of 20. Coming from a big sports background in high school (namely basketball), it was as much of a shock to Jonathan as it was to his family and friends when he discovered a passion for ballroom dancing. Jonathan went to see the Al Pacino movie Scent of a Woman and there was something about the famous tango scene that struck a chord. He took advantage of the free ballroom lessons offered on his movie ticket stub, and the rest is history. Anna began dancing at the age of seven in her native Russia. Her parents owned a dance studio, so it was only natural that Anna took to dancing from an early age. At the age of seven she entered her first competition, which she won, and she has been winning titles (first amateur and now professional) ever since. Trebunskaya moved to the United States with her parents when she was 17 years old. Both her mother and father were professional ballroom dancers, and her mother still makes her costumes today.

Performances of BALLROOM WITH A TWIST at the DuPont Theatre are Tuesday through Sunday, January 19-24, 2010. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening performances start at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday evening performances start at 8 p.m., and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $45. To purchase tickets or for more information about group rates, call the DuPont Theatre Box Office at 302-656-4401 or 800-338-0881  http://www.duponttheatre.com/