BEING in the gym business, Dylan Lesock knew he had a good fitness and strength base to get started on the dancefloor. Learning the moves has opened his eyes to a whole different level of conditioning.
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Preparation for the inaugural Dancing With Our Stars has Dylan trying to pull off a showstopping, 360-degree aerial spin of young partner Emma in what he has been told is a huge jump to an advanced level dance move.
"This has just opened up my eyes to how hard dancing is. I have a whole new appreciation for it," Dylan said. "It's insane on your body because of how intense it is.
Every time I think I'm nailing a move, I'm told nup - up on the balls of your feet more.
Dylan quipped for the effort of learning this dance, he is out there to win both the people's choice and overall champion prizes for The Ballarat Foundation's charity event. The foundation aims to raise $100,000 to help break the cycle of disadvantage across the region.
This is what ultimately convinced Dylan to pull on his dancing shoes.
"It's a cool opportunity," Dylan said. "I did the Leadership Ballarat and Western Region program a couple of years ago and loved it. Every two weeks we were put in different pockets of the community.
You meet people who dedicate their lives to public service and this was a way to stay involved in that circle.
Dylan also wants to become a confident public speaker. He figured dancing was a good self-learning step in the right direction.
The event features a group dance with Dylan learning a jive for the feature dance. He is training at 90 per cent speed, using a mat to practice his partner flip, and says he has a long way to go before the June 22 dance-off.
Dylan's business Clarke Clean is a major sponsor but a key component of his dance campaign is fundraising. He knows Geelong AFLW footballer Amy McDonald has made a big silent auction impact on this already so, on top of rallying his corporate network, Dylan is looking to Bogan Bingo to boost his chances.
Dancing With Our Stars will feature 10 well-known community identities burning it up on the dancefloor. Vote for your favourite 'star' online. A $1 donation is one vote.The dancer with the most votes will be declared winner.
Visit ballaratfoundation.org/dwos/ for star profiles and to vote.
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