South Lake Tahoe Mayor working on his moves for Dancing With the Tahoe Stars

What has become the South Lake Tahoe area "event to attend" for the past four years, Tahoe Arts Project's Dancing With the Tahoe Stars once again has filled the stage with men and women from the local community.

South Lake Tahoe Mayor Austin Sass and his professional partner Catherine Arens are two of those participating on the MontBleu stage and have been working several hours a week on their Samba routine.

"It's been a lot of fun," said Sass during one of their rehearsals last week. "TAP (Tahoe Arts Project) is such a great organization. My kids went into TAP and my son was Thespian of the Year at South Tahoe High."

Since Sass went to the all boys Manhattan Stuyvesant High School in New York he never had a prom, or attended a formal dance, so practicing the Samba with Arens has been a very new experience.

Arens said Sass has been an easy student to teach. "Just listen and shut up," she said were words that have made the process a great experience. "He's been a good student," added Arens. "He like to be challenged and listens."

She teaches ballroom dancing at Forever Dance in Round Hill, as well as being a wedding choreographer and group fitness instructor.

Sass, who says he loves to dance, has studied the films of their practices to see what he can do better.

Their Samba dance has 16 unique combinations, which is a lot of moves. Arens said their dance is a combination of American Ballroom style with some Brazilian moves mixed into her choreography.

The Mayor takes what he learns each day and goes home to practice. He goes over the Samba moves with his new six-month old Havanese dog while wife Beverly watches and critiques.

When he hits the stage on March 4, Sass will be sporting a sequinned green shirt along with new dance shoes, something he hopes doesn't got to waste after the event. "I have friends who go out and dance, so you never know," said Sass.

Tickets for Dancing With the Tahoe Stars normally sell out and can be purchased on their website at tahoeartsproject.org/dwtts/.

There is also a People's Choice award that everyone can participate in. Simple visit the above website and vote with a donation for your favorite couple. During the evening, the audience will have the opportunity to vote by text for their favorite couple.

The women and their professional partner:

Marimille Dacia with Gerzon Chaves – Salsa
Betsy Bellotti with Rainer Herm – West Coast Swing
Brooke Hernandez with Alex Kaskie – Hip Hop
Alison Ganong with Bob Truesdale – Country Swing
Cindy Martinez with Spencer Spanton – Bachata

The men and their professional partner:

Austin Sass with Catherine Arens – Samba
Chuck Malone with Angela Smith – Jazz
Matt Levitt with Robyn Lindner- Paso Doble
John Friedrich with Jodi Patton – Jive
Jeff Cowen with Rhonda Keen – Bollywood

Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Dreu Murin. Judges once again will be Marcia Sarosik, Don Bosson and Paul Middlebrook.