recent “Motown to Moonwalk” spring showcase. Through admission fees for the showcase and chance drawing ticket sales, the group raised $5,000 for the Wildwood Soup Kitchen.
According to its founder, Sugar n’ Spice spreads joy to the community doing what its members love — performing for clubs in The Villages, assisted living facilities and private parties.
“It’s just a joyous feeling to be able to move your body to music,” said group founder Sandra Bergheim, a Village of Hadley resident. “I hope that’s what heaven is made of. Everybody in the group feels that our love for dance is something that we want to share. We’re not perfect at it, but we just want to be able to share it.”
The performance group recently hosted Motown to Moonwalk at SeaBreeze Recreation. The two-and-half hour event featured live musical performances and dances from artists and groups from The Villages community, including Barbara Hanberry singing “One Fine Day” and a special dance performance by The Gentlemen R&B Steppers.
Bergheim said the money was raised through entry and chance drawing ticket sales, and the audience of more than 160 people was the most receptive the group has ever had.
“The Villages is a very giving place,” Bergheim said. “We love to dance and they love to give, so it’s a win-win situation. Everybody said it was a fantastic show. It’s really nice that after we had the finale, people came up to us and said it was a great show and they were so happy to be involved with giving to the cause.”
Barbara McManus, president of the board of directors for the Wildwood Soup Kitchen, said it’s always a good thing when groups find unique ways to fundraise or raise awareness about the nonprofit.
“It helps because we live in an area with high food insecurity,” McManus said. “We are still in the process of getting things together at our new location and we are trying to reach people in Sumter County.”
Motown to Moonwalk was inspired by the group’s love for R&B and the recently released biopic, “Michael.”
“We usually focus on R&B music,” Bergheim said. “We wanted to get Motown in (the title) and then we all love Michael Jackson. We said let’s do something with Motown and Michael Jackson.
“When we did the Michael Jackson medley at the end, there were six songs all thrown together, one after another,” she said. “That was really difficult for everyone to do because they had to remember all of those different dances and where their placement was. Nobody did any moonwalks, but we did a lot of other things that Michael used in his numbers. It was a lot of hard work and it’s a lot of fun. It’s like a dance family.”
Toni Booker, of the Village of Winifred, performed a few solos, including “The Ones Who Really Love You” by Mary Wells and “I’ve Got To Use My Imagination” by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Booker, who also performed “Da Doo Ron Ron” by The Crystals in a trio performance with Barbara Hanberry and Jeri Lynne Fraser, said she enjoyed herself throughout the show.
“It brought back good memories for me to sing and listen to the songs,” she said. “I also enjoyed watching them dance. The dancers did really good. Sandy had it all laid out. It was great. This was an excellent idea and the crowd loved it.”
Booker’s husband was also part of the show. Ron Booker was front and center with his line dance group, The Gentlemen R&B Steppers.
A big applause erupted at the end of The Gentlemen R&B Steppers’ nearly two-minute performance to “Yeah!” by Usher, followed by a few audience members affectionately throwing money onto the stage.
“When he was up there dancing, I was like, ‘Look at him showing off,’” Toni said. “The crowd was just eating it up and loving it.”
Ron, who coordinates for The Gentlemen R&B Steppers, said he was proud to perform with the group of men.
“We knew the dances, so it was a matter of rehearsing, and we had about six rehearsals. The were women who threw money on the stage after we finished, but we donated that back to the Sugar n’ Spice for the fundraiser.”
Sugar n’ Spice hosts fundraising shows twice a year — one in the spring and one around the winter holiday season.
Last December, the group raised more than $6,000 during a show that benefited The Villages Honor Flight, a nonprofit that takes veterans to Washington, D.C., for a day to view war memorials. That experience forged a connection between the two groups.
“The president of the Honor Flight called me and asked if we would be interested in dancing twice a year for the Honor Flight when the boys come back at the American Legion between 11 and 1 o’clock in the morning,” Bergheim said. “Of course, we said yes, because any reason to dance is a good enough reason for us.
“Coincidentally, my husband, who is a 22-year veteran of the Air Force, was called to be on the April 27 flight. That was a really nice twist because we didn’t know that that was going to happen. They called him after we had already booked our engagement.”
Having the opportunity to do good while dancing has been enjoyable for Bergheim, who prioritizes giving back to the community.
“I think it’s just important to give back,” she said. “We are really blessed here in The Villages and this part of my life has been so sweet. I’m healthy, strong and I’m just so happy to be able to give back, because that’s what you need to do.”
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
