Dancing with the Stars of Casper raises approximately $140,000

“I came to get down, I came to get down, so get out your seat and jump around!” – House of Pain

Dancing with the Stars of Casper: Music Video Night was a night of energy, excitement, and firework flair that had the whole Ford Wyoming Center clapping, cheering and singing along with the most iconic music video lyrics… all for a good cause!

Guests dressed in their best, from all across Wyoming, filling the Ford Wyoming Center, and their incredible generosity helped raise roughly $140,000 at the 14th annual fundraiser benefiting Mercer Family Resource Center (Mercer FRC), a local nonprofit agency that provides early intervention, prevention and counseling services that build stronger and healthier youth and families within the Natrona County community. Mercer FRC would like to tip our hats and thank the generous donors, dancers, choreographers and volunteers for helping raise this money to support programs and services that are proactive, impactful and accessible to anyone!

Donning sparkles from head to toe, the beautiful Cathy Holman (aka the Prairie Wife in Heels) teamed up with the eccentric Hunter Harmelink to emcee the evening. The evening was filled with theatrical performances by professionals, choreographers and local stars who donated hundreds of practice hours and artistic creativity to prepare for the evening. The adorably talented kiddos from Rising Star Tumbling & Dance Studio, 307 Dance Academy and Dance Evolutions crushed the grand opening with synchronized flips, splits and enough sparkles to light up the stage as they rocked out an upbeat and energetic dance to “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Fun fact… did you know that was the very first music video to hit the air in 1981?

The panel of celebrity judges provided witty commentary between each competitive performance, but they had their work cut out for them as they struggled to decide who outperformed whom as each dance act brought a fresh new level of theatrical entertainment to the dance trends of yesteryear.

And the iconic moon man awards go to…

Tyler Disburg and Tayla Trujillo brought the spirit of high school pep rallies to the stage, complete with cheerleader-style jump-splits, lift stunts and pyramids as the entire KW marching band helped them shake it off to Taylor Swift and reminded us all that this ain’t no holler back dance team. Their preppy routine helped them take home the Best Crowd Appeal award. Tyler and Tayla also took home the coveted People’s Choice Award, earning a whopping $17,655 of the $43,205 raised in this category!

Susan Stubson and Craig Mitchell showed off their multitude of musical talents by kicking their performance off with an incredible vocal/piano duet cover of Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets,” then switched into full-on dance mode as they pumped up the jam, jump-jump-jumped, and spiced up the trendy dance moves to songs like Spice Girl’s “Wannabe” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” This dance team’s iconic moves and creative costumes earned them the award for Outstanding Theme and Creativity, recognizing them as the routine showcasing outstanding presentation, theme and creativity.

Anthony Stengal and Cassaundra Spargar came in like a wrecking ball of class and sass as they paired ballroom elegance with upbeat punk vibes, quick wardrobe changes and fun props like treadmills and a giant disco ball dropping from the ceiling. Their stage presence evoked a rollercoaster of emotion as they reenacted videos like Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” and “Here it Goes Again” by OK Go, then slowed it down again to Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” Their class-punk style mashup of perfectly synchronized lifts, spins and a climactic crash-off-the-stage finale move earned them the Best Partner Connection Award from the judges.

Ashley and Malachi Bennett brought the heat with iconic reenactments of dance trends from videos like Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody,” Christina Agulara’s “Dirty,” Usher’s “Yeah” and Solja Boy’s “Crank That.” Their friends made us all do a double take with their epic guys vs. gals pop-lock-and-drop it breakdance battle to some throwback hip-hop, and embraced the music make-you-lose-control vibe of the early 2000s. They wrapped up their set feeling so crazy in love that Justin Timberlake would’ve even blushed at the stripped-down ending. Their highly entertaining music video dance mashups and outstanding theatrical performance earned them the Excellence in Showmanship Award, which recognizes the outstanding showmanship of their performance.

Amanda Montgomery and Michael Boulter hit the stage with a dramatic aerial entrance that kicked off their smoky routine filled with high energy, lifts, flips and a creative use of black lights and glow-in-the-dark accessories. Their show-stopping routine, filled with acrobatic flexibility and incredible lifts, showed off the strength and talents of this dance couple, winning them the Excellence in Technique award, recognizing the couple with outstanding technique, formation and lifts. Their pumped-up energy left the whole crowd singing tonight’s gonna be a good night!

Jennifer Reese and Aaron Walters embraced their inner Michael Jackson with a thriller of a hazy graveyard performance. Complete with epic costumes, iconic dance moves and a whole hoard of zombies, this group brought the spooky zombie vibe back from the dead. Their high energy, wicked hand stands and confetti-blasted final pose earned them the Judges’ Choice Award, recognizing the routine’s overall entertainment value and technical excellence.

While the judges deliberated which dance performance won which award, a vivacious grand finale was provided by the fabulous Casper College Department of Theater and Dance and their talented choreographer, Jodi Youmans-Jones. Their upbeat rendition of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” was the perfect ending for a night of quintessential performance and throwback jams.

Thank you so much to the dedicated dancers, choreographers makeup artists and costume designers, the sponsors, the donors and the volunteers for joining Mercer FRC at one of the most entertaining fundraisers of the year!  If you missed this year, don’t worry: Dancing with the Stars of Casper will return for our 15th Year Anniversary on Oct. 25, 2025! Until then, you can see photos and videos from the night at mercercasper.com.