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PHOTO GALLERY: Dancing With the Mankato Stars

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  • Kate Cox and professional dancer Eddie Rodrigues dance a disco number during Dancing With the Mankato Stars Saturday. Pat Christman

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  • KEYC personality Stacey Steinhagen is lifted into the air by MSU theater and dance alum Travis Schafer during Saturday's Dancing With the Mankato Stars at the Kato Ballroom. Pat Christman

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  • Fans of Dave Thompson and Whitney Waugh cheer during their dance during Saturday's Dancing With the Mankato Stars. Pat Christman

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February 23, 2013

(PHOTO GALLERY) Mankato personalities use star power to help the American Red Cross

By Pat Christman The Free Press

MANKATO — Even though the participants in Mankato’s version of the famous television dance competition Dancing With the Stars didn’t have the star power and name recognition of Donald Driver, Apolo Ohno and Melissa Gilbert, they had one thing the national contestants do not have: a local cause.

Saturday’s Dancing With the Mankato Stars at the Kato Ballroom raised money for the local chapter of the American Red Cross. Local personalities were paired with dance professionals to learn a dance, but, unlike the television show, it was a one-dance affair. The dance styles varied from jive to quickstep, from ballroom to swing.

Contestants could also earn votes after their dance by persuading the crowd to donate a dollar for each vote to the Red Cross, which was added to the judges score to determine a winner. Exclusively Diamonds owner Sarah Person and MSU dance instructor Paul Finocchiaro were declared the winners after all the votes were counted.

Organizers estimated raising nearly $45,000 during the inaugural event.

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