The seventh annual Dancing with Local Stars will be held on Friday, April 10, at the Camden Opera House. This popular event pairs Midcoast celebrities with professional dance instructors who take the stage together to show off their best dance moves in support of Wayfinder Schools.

This year's cast of stars includes Ben Curtis, Polly Saltonstall, Heather Hearst, Matt Bixby, Owen Casas, Hodding Carter, Betsy Kingsley, Craig Ouellette, Erin Ovalle and Lucinda Ziesing. Each star will be paired with instructors from Swing and Sway Dancing or Kinetic Energy Alive. Together they will will Waltz, Jive, Foxtrot, Tango, Hip Hop and Swing their way into the hearts of audience members, all for a great cause — helping Maine teens graduate from high school.

The show will also include special performances by Studio Red, Shana Bloomstein, Rockport Dance Conservatory, Atlantic Ballet Company, Swing and Sway Dancing, Kinetic Energy Alive and the students of Wayfinder Schools, making for an unforgettable evening in support of Maine kids.

Hair, make-up and transportation for the stars will be provided by the Cutting Room, Beauty Mark and Country Coach Charters. Erin Donovan, of Spoon and the Bangor Daily News, will MC the show. An after-party at the Smokestack Grill will include music by DJ Terry Frank. The community effort wouldn't be possible without the generosity of the 2015 Dancing with Local Stars sponsors: Lead Event Sponsor Camden Real Estate Company, Old Port Advisors, Charles D. Jordan, Jr. Real Estate Appraisal & Consulting, Maine Magazine, Penobscot Bay Pilot (PenBayPilot.com), Lord Camden Inn and Grand Harbor Inn.

Doors open at 6:15 and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under, with prime seating available at $50. Tickets are available at HAVII in Camden and online at wayfinderschools.org.

Click here to buy tickets

Who's Dancing?

Matthew Bixby, Owner, Absolute Labor Construction

Matt Bixby was born in Maine and has lived here most of his life. He's worn many varied hats including actor, construction worker, mailman, circus worker, ranch hand and US Army Soldier. He is an avid motorcyclist, a world traveling fool, grateful, blessed and sincerely happy most of the time. He lives in Belfast with his wife, Anne Homel, their four dogs, and their cat named Wilson. Matt says, "Truly it is grace (not the foot kind) alone that has allowed me to be where and when I am."-TDA

Hodding Carter, Writer and Penobscot Bay YMCA Swim Coach

Back in the states he spent a couple of years job-hopping, trying out everything from professional swimmer to US Presidential Campaign Spy to working as both publicist and speechwriter for the State of New York. Eventually, in the spring of 1989, Esquire magazine hired him as a fact-checker with one caveat: he could never write for the magazine. Quickly defying this rule, his first article for national publication appeared in Esquire less than nine months later. He has been writing professionally ever since. Hodding has won numerous writing awards, including two Society of American Travel Writers awards for his Outside magazine articles. He lives in Camden with his wife Lisa Lattes, an attorney, and their four children. He coaches the Penobscot Bay YMCA Swim Team.Owen Casas, Independent Contractor

Ben Curtis, Camden Opera House Committee

Benjamin Anthony Curtis is no stranger to the stage as a director/actor who is now performing his dancing debut tonight. Although Ben is new to Camden, he has become a familiar face here at the Camden Opera House as committee member and regular volunteer. Having experience & passion in high school theater directing, Ben volunteered at Camden Hills High School last winter with their one act play competition. He is also active in the restaurant business as well as real estate. With roots in Hollywood, Ben is excited to be honoring legends such as Elvis with his dance tonight...Hollywood history has it that Elvis, in the 1950s, honored Ben's late father, Tony Curtis, with his hair style.

Heather Hearst, Art Consultant, Heather Hearst LLC

Heather Hearst is the principal of Heather Hearst LLC, a fine art consulting firm. As an art consultant, she assists with the discovery and acquisition of art works by connecting clients, businesses, interior designers and architects directly to artists or through their representing gallery. Heather currently serves the Center of Maine Contemporary Art as Auction chairman and Trustee Board Member. She also serves as a Board Member for Wayfinder Schools in Camden. As of July 2014, she became the Contributing Arts Editor for Dispatch Magazine, Maine and New Hampshire's go-to magazine for buzzworthy events. She lives in Camden with her husband, Jason Hearst, owner of Hearstudios, a sound recording studio, and their two children.

Betsy Kingsley, Personal Trainer/Tennis Pro, Midcoast Recreation Center

Betsy has a passion for sports and fitness and enjoys working with her clients both young and old. She takes great pride in helping her clients achieve her goals. She competes around the state in tennis and has been to the championships in the USTA several times. Betsy lives in Cushing with her husband, Scott and her dog Bruschi. She has two grown sons, Sam and Jonathan. She has a passion for boating, skiing, hiking, and recently Stand Up Paddle Boarding. She is very excited to be working with a professional dance company and learning how to dance. Betsy is also very happy to support the Wayfinder School and all the great things they do to support the kids and in turn make our community stronger.

Owen Casas

Owen Casas was born and raised in Washington, and departed the Midcoast at 18 to enlist in the US Marine Corps. He served from 2003-2007, including a deployment to Fallujah, Iraq and separated honorably as a Sergeant. Since returning home Owen has worked as a stone mason, commercial fisherman and Jack of All Trades. He graduated with honors from UMA with a BS in Applied Science and ran for Representative of Camden, Rockport and Islesboro as an Independent in 2014. Owen lives with his wife, two children and various animals in Rockport and is thrilled to be part of a noble fundraising mission for Wayfinder Schools.

Craig Ouellette, Director of Bands, Camden-Rockport Middle School

As Director of Bands at the Camden Rockport Middle School, spanning from four-grade level concert bands to various other projects such as recently taking on directing the Monday Nite jazz orchestra, Craig Ouellette fills his time by sharing his passion for teaching music to the Midcoast and all over Maine. Craig moved to Camden to join CRMS after obtaining a master's degree in conducting from the University of Maine. While studying at the university, Craig held the position of assistant conductor to both the University Symphonic Band and Orchestra. Directing music isn't all that Craig enjoys; he is also an avid hiker, golfer and has recently taken up snowboarding. Now he takes a spin on the dance floor bringing his love for music to the art of movement.

Erin Ovalle, Anchor, WMTW News

You can start your day with Erin Ovalle and the rest of the morning crew on WMTW News 8 starting at 4:30 a.m. Her career and passion for broadcast journalism spans nearly a decade and took her to Illinois, Michigan and Florida as both a reporter and anchor before landing in Maine. A New Hampshire native, Erin graduated from Gordon College with a degree in speech communications and political science, where she served as president of her class and captain of their dance and tennis teams. After work Erin dedicates much of her time to supporting nonprofits including the Center for Grieving Children, Painting for a Purpose, the Cromwell Center, Easter Seals Maine, Ruth's Reusable Resources, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Erin also serves on the Executive Ambassador's Council with the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. An avid skier and tennis player, Erin loves Maine's outdoors, playing with her dog, Baxter, and being close to her family in New England.

Polly Saltonstall, Editor-in-Chief, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors

Polly Saltonstall is an award-winning journalist with 30 years of experience writing and editing. She has been editor in chief of the Rockland-based, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine since 2013. The magazine produces five print issues and six digital editions a year, including an annual digital only Boats of the Year, and hosts a highly popular boats and homes show in Rockland (Aug. 14-16 this year). She also has edited several books, including, Where the Mountains Meet the Sea, a History of the Camden Area from 1900 to 2000, by Philip Conkling, published by the Camden Public Library. She has a B.A. in American history from Harvard College and a master’s in public administration from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Polly serves on the board of trustees of the Maine Community Foundation and served on the board of the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport for many years. She also was chairman of the Camden Library Board of Trustees. She lives in Camden with her husband, John K. Hanson Jr., and two sons, Jack, 14, and Sam, 12. In her free time, she messes around in boats and in her vegetable garden.

Lucinda Ziesing, Artist and Writer

Lucinda Ziesing has written, produced and performed in New York and Los Angeles. She has led theatre workshops throughout the U.S.,, always with an eye on making stories out of the every day. She was on the theater faculty at Sarah Lawrence College. Lucinda received an MFA in writing from Spalding University in 2006. Her screenplay Strike, a true story of the pursuit of happiness and the American Dream, won the Gotham Screenplay Contest for Best Family Story in 2010. As a mixed media artist, her Public Works paintings were exhibited in 2012 at 10 High Street Gallery in Camden. Her next show will open at the Unity College Gallery in August 2015. She currently serves on the Board of CIFF, the Camden International Film Festival and Winterfest. She and her husband, Des FitzGerald, raised four children in Camden, who are each lighting up their corners of the world.

Master of Ceremonies

Erin Donovan, Bangor Daily News & Spoon Frozen Yogurt Store Co-Owner

Erin Donovan is the humor writer featured in Monday's edition of the Bangor Daily News. Her award-winning pieces have been featured at the Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, and The Mouth Housewives. Erin resides in Camden with her three children and their turtle where she continues to perform her one-woman standup show and write her comedic memoir called Maui & Me: How One Dog Ruined My Marriage and All of My Underwear. Erin also co-owns everyone's favorite little yogurt shop downtown, Spoon.