5 QUESTIONS FOR DEE SCHWAB

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Philanthropist Dee Schwab is one of 13 dancers competing for a great cause at the sold-out Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte for The Pink House fundraiser. Dee will perform a ballroom routine with her professional dance partner, Felipe Gonzales Ed…

Philanthropist Dee Schwab is one of 13 dancers competing for a great cause at the sold-out Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte for The Pink House fundraiser. Dee will perform a ballroom routine with her professional dance partner, Felipe Gonzales Edmiston.

One of the fastest-growing fundraisers in Charlotte is Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte for The Pink House, a benefit for Caroilna Breast Friends. Since 2016, it’s raised more than $1.55 million to support the services the nonprofit Carolina Breast Friends provides for those with breast cancer in our community.

Modeled after the popular Dancing with the Stars TV show, it pairs professional dancers with community leaders. Each team performs a ballroom dance number that is scored by judges from the competitive dance world. Audience members also get to vote for their favorite star by making donations to Carolina Breast Friends. Each dollar donated is equivalent to one vote.

Emcees for this year’s sold-out event on March 30 at Knight Theater are WBTV's Molly Grantham and NFL star DeAngelo Williams, both of whom have lost close family members to breast cancer. They’ll be handing out the mirror ball trophy for the top fundraiser, the biggest crowd pleaser, and the highest-scoring dancer.

Among the 13 stars competing is Dee Schwab, a mother of four who is also a grandmother of four. She’ll be joined on stage by fellow competitors and philanthropists JoBrent Austin-Diehl, Nick Clavin, Amanda Hibberts, Anitha Leonard, Davis Ligon, Katherine Weeks Mulford, Joey Profeta, Heather Sendler, Mary Bryan Smith, Celia Thompson, Shane Wagner and Hayes Woollen.

Dee will perform with professional dancer Felipe Gonzales Edmiston. She jokes that she’s looking forward to finding out if her 5th grade ballet classes will finally pay off. But her true motivation is supporting the nonprofit’s inspiring mission.

In between her demanding dance practice sessions, Dee took time from her busy schedule to answer The O Report’s questions.

The O Report: Being a dancer at this fundraiser is a huge commitment. What motivated you to participate?

Dee: I love to dance! And dancing for such a worthy cause is an added plus.

The O Report: What has been your favorite part of the process?

Dee: Connecting to Charlotte’s community of dancers and dance teachers has been a great new thing for me. My weekly lessons at Midtown Ballroom were intimidating at first. But now they are relaxing, sometimes hilarious and always fun.

The O Report: What has been the most challenging?

Dee: Memorizing our agreed upon dance. It’s only two minutes, but has lots of intricate steps. Fingers crossed!

The O Report: Any details you can share about your costume, music and your amazing professional dance partner Felipe?

Dee: I could not have a better partner than Felipe. He also directs our production. He’s a spectacular dancer, a kind and patient teacher, and now a great new friend. Our beautiful costumes are custom-made by the very talented Daniel Gonzales, who happens to be Felipe’s brother. It’s a family affair!

The O Report: What are you most looking forward to in regards to the fundraiser and what you hope it accomplishes?

Dee: I’m looking forward to our performance Saturday night at the Knight Theatre. And I so appreciate the generosity of friends who have supported me and all the other community dancers. We’ll never know the Pink House patrons we’ve helped, but we’ll know we helped them.


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THE O REPORT’S TOP 18 ARTICLES FROM 2018

As we say goodbye to 2018, here’s a list of the Top 18 most popular articles from The O Report website over the past year. Click on each title to read the original story.

Top Bobbi Brown Products For Men. It’s true, men really are becoming as obsessed with skincare as the women in their lives.

Author Kimmery Martin Rules. The O Report readers love books, especially this Charlotte-based author’s national debut novel, The Queen of Hearts.

Felix Sabates Hosts Allegro Foundation Fundraiser. Felix was in the news a lot this year as rumors swirled about his interest in putting together a group to buy the Carolina Panthers, but The O Report readers loved seeing this soft side of the generous businessman.

Dr. Stephan Finical. A profile of one of the top plastic surgeons in the nation who’s part of Charlotte Plastic Surgery’s award-winning team of doctors.

Exquisite Rings For Brides Of Any Age. When 50 and up brides and grooms marry, Tiffany & Co. at SouthPark Mall is a popular stop on the way to the altar.

Michael Marsicano. Our profile of the man who many consider to be Charlotte’s most powerful people, and also one of its nicest.

Visionary Women Luncheon. This celebration of the power and purpose of women coming together to connect, listen and share is presented annually by Queens University of Charlotte, Wells Fargo Private Bank and the Mint Museum.

The O Report Magazine Wins Prestigious Award. To be recognized as an outstanding publication by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts and its team of judges from iconic brands including Conde Nast, Estee Lauder, Sotheby’s and Lockheed Martin was definitely the highlight of The O Report publisher Olivia Fortson’s professional year.

Francene Marie Morris: Create A Life You Desire. Readers really tuned into the award-winning radio personality’s advice.

Michelle Melville Shares How To Stay Modern. The J.Hilburn stylist’s tips for men were on trend.

Advice From A World Famous Makeup Artist. Sir John is beauty industry royalty and his exclusive Q&A with The O Report was a major coup.

Randy Gartz. This tech recruiter’s great advice and zest for life resonated with readers.

Wig Party! Readers flipped for photos from creative couple Regine and Andreas Bechtler’s Wig Party.

Get The Job Done In Style. The O Report readers love to look chic while working hard, and they want their desk accessories to do the same.

Fashion Is In Her DNA. There’s a reason why Whitley Adkins Hamlin is one of Charlotte’s most sought-after and fashionable stylists.

Lynn Ivey: Follow Your Intuition. A fascinating profile of the woman who founded a nonprofit that has made a dramatic difference in the lives of caregivers and their family members with memory loss.

Advice From Style Influencer Scott Newkirk. Tabor’s buyer and creative director has an expert eye for all things elegant and modern. 

Tips From A Fitness Expert. Jill Cerami, who manages, trains and teaches classes at Trilogy at Lake Norman’s workout center, has great advice for older exercisers.

SOUTHERN FICTION AT ITS BEST AND MORE NEW BOOKS

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Sally Brewster, owner of the independent book store Park Road Books, recommends these new offerings:

"The Nest" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, a quirky drama about a dysfunctional New York City family and the fluctuating bonds between siblings. According to Sally, the author is 55 and this is her first novel published - and she was given a $1 million dollar advance.

"The Queen of the Night" by Alexander Chee has real-life events and figures of the Belle Epoque era woven into a story about the scandal-filled experiences of a girl from Minnesota who escapes to Paris and becomes a famous opera singer. 

"Lies and Other Acts of Love" by North Carolina writer Kristy Woodson Harvey is praised as "Southern Fiction at its best." In this novel a grandmother finds out her family's little white lies may have influenced her responsible granddaughter to suddenly ditch her hedge fund manager fiancé to marry a musician she's only known for three days. The author will sign copies of her book May 11 at Park Road Books during a Girls Night Out event that starts at 7 p.m.

In other news from Park Road Books, Sally says that readers are snapping up copies of "The Rainbow Comes And Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love and Loss," by TV journalist Anderson Cooper and his famous heiress/entreprenuer mother Gloria Vanderbilt.

Also popular is "Flight of Dreams" by Ariel Lawhon, a romantic adventure novel that takes place during the days leading up to the real 1937 crash of the German airship Hindenberg.

And she confirms news reports that after the terrorist attacks in Paris last year, there was a demand from readers who wanted to revisit 1964's "A Moveable Feast," a memoir of Ernest Hemingway's expat observations of Paris in the 1920s. Interest in the book has waned, but the store still has copies in stock.

Park Road Books is at Park Road Shopping Center, 4139 Park Road. Details: 704-525-9239; www.parkroadbooks.com. 

Previously recommended by Sally Brewster of Park Road Books: 

 "The Arrangement" by author Ashley Warlick. Set in 1934 in California, France and the Swiss Alps, it's based on the real-life love triangle between food writer M.F.K. Fisher, her husband, and the man she left him for. The author has taught at Queens University of Charlotte's MFA program and is now the buyer for M. Judson Booksellers & Storytellers in Greenville, S.C. 

"The Swans of Fifth Avenue" by Melanie Benjamin. The New York Times bestselling author of "The Aviator's Wife" takes readers into the world of 1950s New York High Society and its brightest star, Babe Paley, who becomes involved in a literary scandal with Truman Capote.