West Virginia University Mountaineer Mascot Brock Burwell doesn’t consider himself a dancer. Instead, he says, “I’m this big burly guy with no dance skills whatsoever.”

On Saturday (March 3) at 8:30 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms, Burwell and 10 other campus celebrities will be showing off their best moves in “Dancing With Our Mountaineer Stars.”

“It’s going to be really funny to see me out there dancing and trying to be smooth. I have never been smooth in my entire life so I think that will be entertaining,” Burwell joked. “I’m excited. I think it is going to be a lot of fun and hopefully our dance will entertain those in attendance.”

Each pair will dance to a mix of songs for up to three minutes. The event is based on ABC’s hit television series “Dancing With The Stars,” 22 of WVU’s talented, faculty, staff, students and alumni are paired together to compete for the championship.

It’s not all about the dance, however. Each pair will compete as part of the “Dancing With Our Mountaineer Stars” Blood Drive, which takes place on Tuesday (Feb. 28) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. Each competitor is charged with the task of recruiting family members, friends and community members to donate blood on their behalf. The number of pints of blood collected for each pair will be added together with their dance score to determine the winner of “Dancing With Our Mountaineer Stars.”

To donate blood, you can sign up in advance by calling the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767. For more information, visit here.

“I really think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m not a dancer by any stretch of the imagination, so getting to try something new like this has been challenging and exciting,” said WVIllustrated’s Geoff Coyle, a 2009 WVU graduate in broadcast journalism. “Honestly, my goal is to raise a few pints of blood and not make a complete fool out of myself on the dance floor.”

Judges for the competition include: Steve Douglas, President, WVU Alumni Association Nikki Bowman, Editor, WV Living Magazine; Andrea Rogers, 2011 Miss West Virginia USA; and Chas Redmond, choreographer, dancer and entertainer. One final “celebrity” judge will be announced at a later time.

Bill Nevin, the Voice of the WVU Marching Band and WVU home men’s basketball games, will host the show.

“It’s very exciting, because I love high pressure situations. It’s an outstanding opportunity. I can’t wait until next Saturday,” said Mountaineer Maniacs Director Steve Staffileno.

The participants include:

  • Ron Justice, director of Student Organizations Services, and Amanda Hughart, 2010 Mountaineer Idol winner and graduate student in dentistry
  • Steve Staffileno, director of the Mountaineer Maniacs and graduate student in professional accountancy, and Mel Moraes, graduate assistant in University Relations/News and graduate student in integrated marketing communications
  • Brock Burwell, Mountaineer Mascot and graduate student in athletic coaching education, and Nicole Riggleman, assistant director of development in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
  • Geoff Coyle, WVU sports reporter for WVIllustrated, and Jessica Burtner, exercise physiology student
  • Ryan Butler, 2011 Mr. Mountaineer and five-year graduate student in secondary math education, and Julie Adams, WVU Collegiate 4-H Dance Ambassador
  • Julie Diamond, 2011 WVU Homecoming Queen and biology major, and Matt Boczanowski, Student Government Association board of governor, Mountaineer Week/Mountaineer Idol co-host and graduate student in public administration
  • Evan Bonnstetter, 2011 WVU Homecoming King and public relations and Spanish student, and Ariel Fink, member of the WVU Dance Team and senior speech pathology major
  • Chelsea Malone, 2011 Mountaineer Idol and finance student, and Joe Harmon, member of the College Republicans, WVUp All Night intern and political science major
  • Jackie Riggleman, Miss Appalachia, WVUp All Night lead intern and advertising student, and Sheldon Bell, graduate assistant for the Mountaineer Athletic Club
  • Brenda Thompson, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, and Phil Furman, CEO of the Kids Camp Foundation and WVU graduate education student
  • Lesley Cottrell, chairperson of the WVU Faculty Senate and the WVU Board of Governors, and Bill Duff, WVU dance instructor.

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CONTACT: Sonja Wilson, Mountainlair
304-293-8230, Sonja.Wilson@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.