Lithgow stars get dancing shoes on to raise money for Cancer Council

The second annual Cancer Council fundraiser will be held on Saturday, March 9, giving the stars seven weeks to get finalised.

The Stars event sees Lithgow’s community figures and leaders paired with professional dance instructors to learn an entertaining routine, which they then perform in front of a judging panel and audience on the gala night.

Judges will decide the winners in multiple categories, including judges’ choice, people’s choice, and highest fundraiser. 

The stars have been tasked with fundraising to try and raise as much as they can for the cause. 

Current front runners are Tania Aussel from The Tin Shed and her dance partner Matt Walker of Vangard Fitness who have raised $636 so far and they expect that amount to grow in the coming days. 

“My staff at The Tin Shed agreed to donate half their tips for the next two months to help out,” Ms Aussel said. 

Mr Walker and Ms Aussel are being coached by dance teacher, chef at the Tin Shed and disability worker Andrew Hawkins. 

“We are doing swing dancing which is a pretty cool genre,” Mr Walker said.

He said the duo had little dance experience and in the past he has had a sporting focus on CrossFit, golf and mountain biking. 

Ms Aussel said she “didn’t even do ballet as a child”.

But for what they lack in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm. 

“I try to get my practise in while doing my CrossFit workouts and my dad dancing is slowly improving into good pub dancing,” Mr Walker said. 

The duo have been practising in a no mirror environment in the open space at Vanguard Fitness. 

“It’s not going too bad, it’s a fast routine,” he said. 

The pair are training two days a week, one day coached and one without their instructor. 

Read more:

“We will be fine, we just need to know the dance so well we can’t stuff up,” Ms Aussel said. 

Mr Walker said that raising money for the Cancer Council was quite personal to him. 

“My partner lost her Mum to bowel cancer so it is a pretty close cause to me unfortunately,” he said. 

Ms Aussel said the group of stars are hoping to host a trivia night with local businesses donating and with the money raised being split between the group.

If you would like to donate to this dynamic duo you can do so here. 

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Lithgow Mercury. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.