The Canton Ballet teamed up with the Pro Football Hall of Fame to present Touchdowns and Tutus on Saturday evening. Ashley Bettis chaired the event, which paired 10 local football players with ballerinas from the Canton Ballet in a dance competition featuring a variety of styles and music.
Participants included Anna Mears dancing with Nicholas Binnie, Erika Shi with Chris Anthony, Tamaki Hoshi with Francisco Pedrozo, Maria Kaplan with Gerard Berroteran, Maria Miller with Jaret Holzopfel, Aryssa Prodafikas with Tyler Adams, Margaret Kingsbury with Darius Stokes, Janelle Barker with Clayton Tabler, Taylor Adams with Trey Carl, and Isabella Hellmann with Griffin Baumoel.
Cassandra Crowley, artistic and executive director of the Canton Ballet, said it was a pleasure to work with the football players as they practiced their dance routines at the Canton Ballet studio.
Jamir Howerton was emcee, and judges included Matt Wilhelm, former NFL linebacker and now football analyst with WKNR and WEWS-TV 5; Vernon Davis, former NFL player and founder of the Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts; Sylvia Mackey, wife of hall of famer John Mackey and Gridiron Greats Woman of the Year; and Laura Alonso, artistic director of the National Ballet of Cuba.
After careful deliberation and input from the audience, judges named Carl and Adams winners of the competition and recipients of college scholarships.
Then the event shifted to a Tailgate Party at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where guests enjoyed tacos from Baja West Coast Kitchen, Ryan Wilzoch and Tori Rubenstein served barbecue from Old Carolina Barbecue and Jim Murphy of Robert J. Events and Catering offered a variety of chips paired with gourmet dips.
Bevann Burgess dined with her daughter, Laurel, and Mary Lou Ianni enjoyed the party with her daughter, Allison Chiofolo, and her granddaughters, Mary, Ellen and Libby. Bob Cope and Peyton Moore took time to look over the exhibits in the hall of fame.
“I’m so proud of Trey,” said mom Patty Carl as she enjoyed the party with her husband, Bob, Rhoda and Pete Christ, and James Waters.
Darius Stokes enjoyed the party with his mother, Lori, and fellow dancer Clayton Tabler. Beverly Waites came from Atlanta to enjoy the event with Cindi Halter, Michael and Deby Barath, Max and Nancy Barton, Bob and Donna Leibensperger, Sharon Luntz, and David Lee Morgan and his wife, Jill.
Canton Mayor Tom Bernabei had the winning bid for a painting by artist Tempy Moore, which he said will hang in his office, “as a souvenir of this great event.”
Crowley reminded everyone tickets are available online for the Canton Ballet’s performance of Snow White on March 18 and 19 at the Palace Theatre in Canton.