If the past season of Dancing With the Stars has taught us anything, it is probably this: If Billy Ray Cyrus and John Ratzenberger think they can boogie, well then, by golly, maybe we can too.
The AIDS educators behind “Come Wit It,” an epic two-day teen dance-off scheduled for Atlanta on August 3 and 4, have had the good sense to tap into our national talent-show obsession—while kicking up a storm of HIV awareness and prevention. The group’s inaugural, 2005 event, in Sacramento, was a triumph of jigginess, raising over $15,000 for local and national AIDS charities. More than 700 kids ages 13 to 17 brought it on, hearing the stories of HIV-positive youth of many races between dance rounds. The competitors themselves were racially diverse too—Asian, Latino, white and African-American.
The winners, six high schoolers who exploded all previously held notions of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” moonwalked their way straight to the $500 first prize. “We had all kinds of celebrity judges,” says co-organizer Steve Woodyard. “Even the bailiff from Judge Judy.”
Woodyard hopes Atlanta’s event (www.comewititfoundation.com) will pull in $25,000; the kids can be tested on-site for HIV and get free follow-up counseling as well. This year’s celeb judges? “I’m not at liberty to say,” Woodyard adds. To fight this thriller killer, he needs all the help he can get.
Achy Breaky HAART
At this AIDS groove-a-thon, teens bust a move for awareness...and meet a semi-star or two.
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