By Nathan Duke
The Bayside Historical Society will demand fancy footwork from northeast Queens leaders this month as it hosts a gala based on the popular television show “Dancing with the Stars.”
The gala will be in the form of a competition during which professional dancers team up with community leaders from Bayside and show off their best moves.
“Dancing with the Stars of Bayside” will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in the grand ballroom of the Officers’ Club. The historical society is within Fort Totten Park off the Cross Island Parkway in Bayside.
“It’s a dance-off similar to the popular TV show,” said Jennifer Dullahan, a spokeswoman for the historical society. “This will be a fund-raiser going toward supporting our collections, programs and archives.”
The program will be led by dancers from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, at 36-35 Bell Blvd. in Bayside. Mark Wasaznik, who operates the Dance Club of New York in East Northport, L.I., will also be one of the dancers who is paired with a Bayside leader during the event.
Bayside stars who will dance during the gala include state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose), Community Board 7 member John Garone, Northeast Queens Park Administrator Janice Melnick, Bayside Marina operator Jim Miranda, and PS 31 Principal Teri Graybow.
Other dancers will be Geralyn Marchisello of Spine & Soul Pilates & Yoga Studio, Becky Winner of Queens Boot Camp, Athena Zoulis of Professional Physical Therapy and Christine Zeoli, the owner of Bayside’s Studio Z.
The contestants will take part in ballroom dancing, such as the salsa or the cha-cha, and they may receive lessons prior to the event, Dullahan said.
“It will depend on their skill level and what they arrange with the instructor,” she said.
The event will include competition between nine couples, individual performances by the professional dancers, raffles, hors d’oeuvres, a light buffet and dessert.
Tickets for the gala are $75 per person. For more information, call 718-352-1548.
The historical society is dedicated to preserving Bayside and offering cultural and educational programs as well as exhibits and events for the community. The group’s website is baysidehistorical.org.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
