Actress Offers Tips to Fundraising Dancers

New Canaan’s Julia Frisoli has a few tips for the contestants in Curtain Call Inc.’s “Dancing With the Stars” fundraiser at Stamford’s Palace Theatre on May 14. It pretty much all comes back to one basic principle: have fun.

“You just go into a zone, and before you know it, the dance is over. It feels like only 30 seconds went by,” Frisoli said. She advised the contestants to keep their heads up, relax and enjoy the moment.

Frisoli’s advice comes from experience: She won the theater company’s first "Dancing With the Stars" fundraiser. Four years ago, she tangoed her way to the people’s choice and the judges’ awards. She and Jami Sherwood have served as co-chairs ever since.

"Dancing With the Stars" serves as the singular fundraising event for Curtain Call, and it has grown steadily over the years. The first one attracted 350 spectators. They expect an audience closer to 1,000 to fill the Palace Theatre this year. Curtain Call also accepts donations and sells engraved bricks and stars bearing the names of supporters.

“'Dancing With the Stars' is the big fundraiser. Given the state cuts to spending for the arts and the economy in general, it is crucial for Curtain Call’s success,” Frisoli said.

Frisoli’s involvement with Curtain Call began 12 years ago when she took acting classes from a friend, Kenn Woodard. She didn’t have any experience, but the classes changed her life. The stay-at-home mom transformed into an actress with roles in movies and television.

She has played a mobster’s girlfriend on "The Sopranos," a victim on "Law & Order" and Donny Osmond’s wife in Disney’s “College Road Trip,” among other roles. She said there is a chance she’ll try out the live stage but doesn’t now have the sort of time that commitment requires.

For Frisoli, "Dancing With the Stars" doesn’t end after the May 14 event. She said that being a part of the show creates a bond that draws participants back. She hosts cocktail parties for the dancers and holds regular reunions. “Past professional dancers often recommend new talent to us and several have returned as volunteers,” she said.

Ticket and voting information for Curtain Call’s Dancing with the Stars is available on the website. 

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