Putnam Legislators to Dance with the Stars

Mary Ellen Odell enjoys her moves with her partner Matt Ames. Legislators Mary Ellen Odell of Carmel and Vincent Tamagna of Nelsonville will be dancing with the stars this coming Saturday to raise money for the Hillside Food Outreach.

The two Putnam residents will be joining ten others in the competition scheduled for the Performing Arts Center at SUNY Purchase to support the organization that provides food to low income families who are unable to visit a food pantry.

Hillside Food Outreach has been serving residents of Westchester for many years from its headquarters in Thornwood. The non-for-profit recently opened a new facility at the Kent Center across from the Kent Schools Complex on Route 52.

Last week during a rehearsal at the Arthur Murray Studios in Danbury, Odell and Tamagna both admitted they were “cautiously optimistic” about performing on the large stage at the PepsiCo Theater before hundreds of cheering fans.

Vincent Tamagna and his partner Nicole Almeida rehearse last week in Danbury. Odell called professional dancing a “whole new world. It’s been a lot of fun.”

In her high school days, Odell was a cheerleader at Carmel High School. “We kept our feet on the floor back in the ‘70s. We weren’t permitted to do that ‘fly-girl’ stuff. I always loved to dance. My Carmel Book Club girls and I are known as the ‘dancing queens.’”

Odell called her Dancing with the Stars competition a “new learning experience. Practice is the word of the day. Besides it’s for a good cause. My good friend Kathy Purdy, who founded the Hillside Food Outreach asked me to help her launch a fund raiser for the new Putnam County facility. I couldn’t refuse and she tricked me when explaining what the fund raiser was all about.”

Odell’s partner, Matt Ames of Ridgefield, described his partner as being “extremely diligent. She works very, very hard. From the moment she arrives at the studio, it’s ‘go-go-go!’ When I forget something, she looks at me and tells me that I forgot!”

Odell and her professional partner are dancing a medley of fox trot and swing.

Tamagna agreed that he has had great fun preparing for Saturday’s event: “It’s been demanding but my partner and the dance studio here in Danbury have been fantastic. They have a lot of patience. This has been a great experience.”

Tamagna, adorned in black velvet shoes with a silk shirt and skin tight pants for the rehearsal, became known for his outlandish attire. Some days he even wore ruffled shirts to get in the mood.

Nicole Almeida of Danbury is Tamagna’s professional partner: “Vinny is goofy. He is an actor who loves to have a good time. Our experience together has been quite a ride! Vinny is eccentric in a good way. He is extremely focused.”

The couple will be performing a samba.

Others participating Saturday include Westchester Legislator Jose Alvarado, Ray Hoffman of WCBS Radio in New York City; Sarah Morabito of the Hillside Food Outreach; Julia Pandolfo of David Yurman Associates; Lee Rizzuto, CEO and President of Conair; Sal Tumino, a professional videographer from Danbury; Eileen Weinstein, a philanthropic leader; Kyle O’Brien, hometown sports hero; and Natasha Tomai, of Signature Builders.

The celebrity judges include Paul Teutel of American Choppers; Waleska Williams, wife of NY Yankees great Bernie Williams; and Roberta Pollard, a professional dancer. Tickets for the event are still available by calling 914-251-6200. Curtain time is 7:30pm.