The 7th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA hosted by Imperial Ballroom Dance Center was the inaugural fundraising Gala for DanceSport Education, a non-profit organization with the mission to positively impact the lives of children and youth in Arizona through ballroom dance and dancesport. It was held on December 17, 2017 at the Scottsdale Resort at MacCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“This event exceeded our expectations. We are so thankful for our many sponsors, who generously donated and the nearly 300 people who attended and supported the event and DanceSport Education’s mission.” said event co-host Inna Berlizyeva.
“DanceSport Education brings ballroom dance to the students at their schools, in their classrooms and we are so pleased to use the funds raised to make the program available and accessible to Arizona’s students” said Elka Hristova, co-founder.
Artem Plakhotnyi, top world class dancesport competitor and event host, emceed the event and was our distinguished on-stage voice for the evening.
"I am honored to be the Official Face of DanceSport Education and proud to be the Ambassador of DanceSport to ALL Arizona children!" said Julia Zilman, a girl with an
inspiring message, A+ student and a top Arizona DanceSport athlete, who addressed the guests and shared the story about her amazing journey in DanceSport.
Keynote speaker, former Mayor of the City of Tempe Hugh Hallman – an avid dancer himself, a business law attorney, an economist, professor, lecturer and community volunteer addressed the Gala guests in a passionate speech about how dance has influenced his life. “Dance has been a crucial part of my success in politics. It gave me confidence and poise. I used that as a foundation on which to have the courage to enter "public" life and make public appearances”. The “Admiral’s Victory Waltz” marked the ending of his speech.