By Marci Shatzman
Zoe Lanham strapped on her dancing shoes, ready for her next lesson with instructor and Fred Astaire Boca Raton studio co-owner James Brann.
Months of lessons partnering and paired with Brann and his professional instructors are the runup to George Snow Scholarship Fund’s biggest annual fundraiser, Boca’s Ballroom Battle. This year, Boca’s version of “Dancing With the Stars” is Sept. 14 at The Boca Raton. https://www.ballroombattle.com/
“Totally out of my comfort zone” as vice president of The Addison historic special events venue, Lanham says she was talked into performing by last year’s top female fundraiser and this year’s co-chair, Oceans 234 restaurateur Danielle Rosse.
“This is my fourth year as a reader for George Snow scholarship applicants,” Lanham noted. “I’m not a dancer, but in March I agreed to do this because I was coming to the end of my chemo.” A breast cancer survivor, she also had a knee replacement and said dancing helped get her back on her feet.
Sworn to secrecy about their dance routine and the song, she’ll keep dancing, something other Snow dancers have done, too, Brann said. The House of Perna in Delray is designing her costume.
Lantham is one of 2024’s eight community dancers, including John W. Clidas, Sarah Doyle, Al Goldberg, Gina Harrow, Dr. Jaqui Moroco, Alex Price and Matt Williams.
All the community dancers vie for the mirrored ball trophies awarded to the top male and female dancers. Here’s a link to all their fundraisers, including Zoe’s, and Snow supporters can also donate to them online: https://www.ballroombattle.com/events/