VERO BEACH — The Indian River Photo Club, a Vero Beach non-profit, has stepped forward to handle all the event and portrait photography for the 7th Annual Dancing with Vero’s Stars.
Master photographer Dick Robertson, a member of the photo club, will be the lead photographer for this season’s popular social event which will be held Saturday, May 9 at the Riverside Theatre. Robertson’s wife Marcia will assist him in this endeavor as well as a cadre of other club photographers.
“It is our intent to have Dick act along with other members of the club to allow familiarity of the event and work towards continuing this community partnership in succeeding years,” said Bill Ocker, President of the Indian River Photo Club. “Our members enjoy being involved in the community, and many of us are looking forward to participating in the May event as well as other mini events the dance competition holds along the way.”
Robertson quickly reached out to participate, because, not only does he have a solid background in portrait photography, Robertson has been a lover of dance since he was a teenager in New York City.
“In 1950 I was voted the youngest dancer to dance at the popular Harvest Moon Ball at Madison Square Garden” said Robertson. “I returned there again some years later after my wife Marcia and I were engaged and danced the Viennese Waltz to a win, which entitled us to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show…we have been dancing ever since!”
Robertson and Marcia owned a high quality portrait studio for 42 years in Connecticut and specialized in family groups, and children, as well as executive and bridal portraits. They have received a number of local and national awards, judged professional photo competitions and now in retirement, participate in offering expertise to local organizations while being extremely active with the photo club itself.
Dancing with Vero’s Stars pairs 10 “local” star dancers to 10 professional instructors for a minimum of 20 hours of training over several months while they gather community votes and raise money for the Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition. Each $1 raised equates to a vote for the dancer. All dancers will be judged on 50 percent money raised for Healthy Start Coalition and 50 percent based on their dancing skills.
The official announcement of the 2015 star dancers paired with their professional dance instructors will be made in mid-November following the official Meet and Greet mixer. Tickets to the event will go on sale to the public beginning Nov. 17.
For more information on the event or sponsorship opportunities, contact the Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition at (772)-563-9118 or visit www.dancingwith verostars.com. The mission of the Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition is to establish a system that guarantees all women have access to prenatal care and that all infants have access to services that promote normal growth and development. Their vision is to have all babies in Indian River County able to maximize their health, growth and development through strong family relationships…ultimately being successful in school and life.
Proceeds from this event will benefit Healthy Start Coalition and Riverside Theatre’s programs and services. For more information on the Indian River Photo Club, visit www.indianriverphotoclub.org.