Father, daughter competing to be ultimate dance Star

On Feb. 28, the father-daughter duo of Rémi and Julianne Foisy will cast aside their family bonds and try to outdance each other in the 2014 Sudbury Dancing with Easter Seals Stars event.

Sponsored by Northern Life and presented by Norm Piché Investors Group, this marks the competition's fourth year. The Foisys are two of six celebrity dancers who are honing their skills in an effort to capture the crown at this year's competition, slated for Feb. 28 at the Caruso Club. Also lacing up their dance shoes this year are Dr. Sandra Fortier, Johanne Nagel, Alain Lessard and Todd Hilton.

The patriarch of the Foisy family is leaving all family ties on the dance floor, too.

“I want to beat her,” Rémi said.

Likewise, Julianne also has the title in her sights, even if it means leaving her father in her dust on the dance floor. But, even more important than winning, she said the experience has brought her even closer to her father.

“I love when we're at the dinner table, we now talk about dance,” she said. “I danced when I was younger, but it wasn't something we really shared. Now, it's something we can all talk about as a family, and it's a whole other aspect of this competition that I didn't expect.”

But Rémi had absolutely no dance experience going into this competition.

“It's challenging — more so than I ever expected,” he said. “It's nerve-racking, but it's for a good cause, and having a great coach in Toni really helps.”

Both father and daughter were part of the Jan. 14 kick-off media event for the upcoming competition.

Rémi showed off a bit of his jive dance routine with his coach, Toni Calabrese, but he also has a “sexy” rumba in store for the audience and panel of judges, which includes Northern Life managing editor Mark Gentili.

Julianne is working on a tango and a cha-cha with her dance coach, Dennis Harasymchuk.

“I did contemporary, ballet, jazz and hip-hop (as a youth), but this is a whole other world,” she said. “I thought I would have more knowledge, but it's so much more than I expected. It's going well.”

And, while one of the six dancers will walk away as the ultimate star of the evening, its the children supported by Easter Seals that will gain the most out of the annual fundraiser.

All money raised will help Easter Seals provide financial assistance to kids with physical disabilities for mobility equipment, communication devices and summer camp opportunities.

As of Jan. 14, there were only nine tables left for the evening.

Nicole Blais, development manager for Northern Ontario, said while the competition is a sellout every year, this is the earliest organizers have been close to selling every seat.

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour, hors d'oeuvres served by the Sudbury Rotary Sunrisers and local police officers, followed by wine tasting, dinner, musical entertainment. That all gives way to the Dancing with Easter Seals Stars competition.

@arronpickard