Dancing Stars of St. Johns County Get Tickets Tickets
A dancer dipped deep over her partner’s arm under the stage lights at Dancing Stars of St. Johns County.

Dancing Stars of St. Johns County

One night of ballroom dancing. A year of free lessons.

Local celebrities train for ten weeks with Arthur Murray professionals, then compete on the Lewis Auditorium stage. Ticket sales, votes and sponsorships pay for free performing arts instruction for St. Johns County children in need and for the elderly.

Get Tickets See the Star Lineup
  • Next show
    2027 date announced soon
  • Venue
    Lewis Auditorium, Flagler College
  • Pre-show
    5:00 p.m. · auction & students
  • Doors
    6:00 p.m.
“To find and nurture the spirit of creativity and talent that rests within everyone.” The mission of St. Augustine Community School of Performing Arts, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit this event funds.
St. Augustine Community School of Performing Arts seal

Founded in 2006 by Annette Danielson
St. Augustine, Florida

2006
SACSPA founded, after its founder’s own recovery from a traumatic brain injury.
2014
First Dancing Stars, launched with Arthur Murray Dance Centers.
38
Local businesses and in-kind partners behind the 2026 show.
$0
What a lesson costs the children and elders SACSPA serves.

How it works

A local celebrity, a professional dancer, and ten weeks.

Dancing Stars follows the television format, with people from St. Johns County. Each local celebrity is matched with a professional from Arthur Murray Dance Centers of St. Augustine and Jacksonville, owned by Vasiliy and Marina Vlasov.

A local celebrity in a turquoise fringe dress finishing a routine with her Arthur Murray partner on the Lewis Auditorium stage.
01

Paired up

A local celebrity from St. Johns County is matched with a professional dancer from Arthur Murray. No dance background required, and most arrive with none at all.

02

Ten weeks

Every pair rehearses together and raises money for SACSPA until show night. The money raised decides one of the two awards.

03

Judges and audience decide

A judging panel scores the routines live for Judge’s Choice. People’s Choice is decided by the community, in votes and donations.

A dancer in a red gown arched back under the stage lights during the professional showcase that closes the night.

Before and after the competition.

Pre-show starts at 5:00 p.m. in the lobby with a silent auction and performances by SACSPA students. Auditorium doors open at 6:00 p.m. After the competition, Arthur Murray championship dancers close the night with a professional showcase.

Returning emcees Andy Morgan and Christie Morgan host. Christie competed as a local celebrity herself in 2023 and won People’s Choice that year.

The awards

Two awards, decided two different ways.

Judge’s Choice

Decided live by the judging panel.

Judges score each local celebrity on the routine they spent ten weeks learning. It is the only award the audience cannot influence.

People’s Choice

Decided by the county, in donations.

A vote for a dancer is a donation to SACSPA. Supporting a dancer and funding the programs are the same thing.

Where the money goes

The programs this pays for.

Arts programs are usually the first thing cut when budgets tighten. These have run without a break. Every one is free to the children and elders who attend, and the longest-running started more than fifteen years ago.

2009 – present
Coquina Crossing Chorale
A weekly chorale for residents of the Coquina Crossing community, running continuously for over fifteen years.
2014 – present
St. Augustine Youth Services
Performing arts instruction for children living at SAYS, a residential therapeutic group home in St. Augustine.
2020 – present
Weekly performance group
Started when in-person classes stopped in 2020 and has run continuously since.

The 2026 show

Lewis Auditorium, July 11, 2026.

  • The full 2026 cast performing the opening ensemble number in front of a large flag backdrop.
  • A local celebrity perched on the judges’ table, playing to the panel mid-routine.
  • Guests filling the lobby during pre-show activities and the silent auction.
  • A local celebrity and her professional partner mid-routine in front of the flag backdrop.
  • Two dancers applauding the audience on stage at the close of a routine.

Photography by John B. Merriam.

Get involved

Four ways to participate.

Come to the show

Seats at Lewis Auditorium for the competition, the silent auction and the professional showcase. Tickets for 2027 go on sale once the date is set.

Get tickets

Dance in the show

Compete next year. No dance experience needed. Arthur Murray provides ten weeks of choreography and coaching.

Sign up to dance

Sponsor the night

Sponsorship covers the cost of running the event and puts your business in front of the audience.

See sponsorships

Volunteer

Help in the lobby, at the auction tables or backstage on show night. Hours are flexible.

Volunteer

2026 sponsors

Twenty-eight local businesses and ten in-kind partners.

Dancing Stars is paid for before the first ticket is sold. These are the businesses and families who covered it for the 2026 show.

Next year’s show starts before the date is announced.

Dancer sign-ups and sponsorships are confirmed months ahead of the show. Both are open now.

Dance in the 2027 Show Sponsor the 2027 Show