Boca’s Ballroom Battle contestant Jacqui Moroco practices with her dance partner, Jan Clancy, at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Boca Raton. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Sallie James
For two minutes this month, dental professional Jacqui Moroco will doff her lab coat, slip into dancing shoes, step onto a stage before hundreds and wow the crowd with a spicy swing routine — all in the name of education.
Her routine will be one of eight acts in Boca’s Ballroom Battle, an annual fundraiser for the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Moroco and seven other community leaders will strut their stuff on Sept. 14 at The Boca Raton, where they will compete as dancers and fundraisers.
“This is going to push me out of my comfort zone,” admitted Moroco, 59, a Delray Beach orthodontist for 31 years. “We are going to be at The Boca Raton in a very large ballroom. You need to exaggerate the moves.”
Just like in the TV show Dancing with the Stars, the contestants will compete in themed, choreographed dance routines. And just like in the real show, each participant will be paired with a professional dancer.
Moroco has been diligently practicing with partner Jan Clancy of Boca’s Fred Astaire Dance Studio since late April. So far, she’s feeling confident.
Her biggest concern? “How do I make these sexy moves that are not typical of the way I carry myself?”
Because the contestants are all well-known in the community, the fundraiser continues to have huge appeal, said Robin Deyo, chairwoman of the scholarship fund’s board of trustees.
“Each one of them comes with their own circle of influence, so it’s always engaging new people to the event,” Deyo noted. “People like Jacqui are so inspired by the education component they really don’t have a problem asking … people to support their efforts.”
The other contestants are John W. Clidas, senior vice president, Synovus Trust Co.; Sarah Doyle, a luxury travel adviser with Valerie Wilson Travel; Al Goldberg, a retired chef/owner of Gourmet Adventures Catering; Gina Harrow, executive director of the Yellow Ribbon Fund; Zoe Lanham, vice president of The Addison; Alex Price, CEO of Priceless Perspective LLC; and Matt Williams, founder of Fropro Snack Bar.
Contestants do much more than just dance. Each one was tasked with coming up with a unique way to raise money for the scholarship fund. Moroco, for instance, partnered with
La Nouvelle Maison restaurant in June for a “dine and donate” event in which 10% of all proceeds benefited the scholarship fund. Other contestants organized fundraisers such as a ladies night out, a cornhole contest and a casino night party. Donors can also contribute on the scholarship fund’s website.
The Ballroom Battle “winners” are the male and female dancers who raise the most money.
To date, the scholarship fund has awarded $31.4 million in scholarships and support services to more than 3,300 students. The annual event is the Snow family’s way of turning tragedy into triumph.
The scholarship fund was established in 1982 in memory of Boca businessman-turned-chopper pilot George Snow, who disappeared in 1980 after transporting a news crew to the Bahamas to cover a story involving shipwrecked Haitian migrants. Their helicopter vanished without a trace on its return trip to Miami.
Moroco is in it to win it. A cardboard cutout of herself in a long dress, displayed in the lobby of her practice at Moroco Orthodontics at 4600 Linton Blvd., promotes the Ballroom
Battle with a simple message: “Help me raise money for students & win!”
If You Go
What: Boca’s Ballroom Battle 2024
Where: Grand Ballroom at The Boca Raton, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton
When: 5 p.m. cocktails to midnight Sept. 14
Why: Fundraiser for the George Snow Scholarship Fund
Tickets: Tables start at $2,500 but are almost sold out. A limited number of individual tickets are available on request.
Info: Contact Amy Greene at AGreene@scholarship.org or 561-347-6799.
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Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com or call 561-337-1553.
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