New Orleans Lympho-Maniac "Dance Off" Champions
Every year a select group of Lympho-Maniacs bust out their best 70’s moves for our annual “Dance Off” competition. Each Dance-Off winner is the proud recipient of the much coveted Lympho-Maniac Disco Ball. Every year tops the one before, so get up for the get down, and dust-off your boogie woogie shoes!
2019 — Dancing Queen
This dance tandem was a crowd favorite the minute their feet touched the dance floor. Just 10 seconds into their performance they had the entire 1500 person audience singing in unison,
“Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen!”
2018 – Angel Prejean
East Jefferson General Hospital oncology nurse by day and certified booty shaker by night! That’s right…We can only be talking about Ms Angel Prejean. She was runner-up in our Lympho Dance Contest in 2017 so she would not be denied the Disco Ball this year (2018). With a “heart of gold” and moves that could stop a high speed train, hard to find anyone more deserving then Angel Prejean.
2017 – Jeff & Kendra Neves
Despite being total newbies to Lympho Dance Contest, this “sizzling hot” married couple brought serious Uptown Funk to dance floor that night. Weeks of dance training in the lunch room of Northshore Plastic Surgery paid off BIG TIME for Jeff and Kendra Neves. These two decimated the competition with the “nail in coffin” coming with Kendra catching two feet of air while breaking out the “centipede” dance! It was undeniable — these 2 owned it — becoming our 2017 Lympho-Maniac Dance Champions!
2016 — Ronnie Vega & The Old Farts
Taking “70s theme party” to whole new level by coming dressed as “70” year old men wearing: Depends underwear, hospital gowns, and walkers. Leading up to that night Ronnie Vega and his group of “Old Farts” had spent countless hours in parking lot of Piccadilly Restaurant (2609 Jefferson Hwy, New Orleans La) choreographing their routine. And their weeks of preparation finally paid off when they strutted out on the dance floor to “SEX MACHINE” (song by the Illusions) completely mesmerizing the crowd. This fierce performance led to Ronnie Vega and “Old Farts” being crowned 2016 Lympho-Maniac Dance Champions.
2012 — James Bradle
Own It! That’s what Disco Pee-Wee did that night by bringing his “Big Adventure” moves to the Lympho Dance Floor and making “TEQUILA” everyone’s drink of choice that night. James Bradle might run a court reporting business by day, but this night he showed how to “hold court” on the dance floor!
2011 — Maria Karras
8 straight years of Lympho-Maniac Dance contests without a female taking home the prized Disco Ball. But on March 23, 2011, Maria Karras would not be denied. Unbeknownst to her competitors that night was fact that Maria spent her youth dancing/training on Brittany Spears dance team. So it was only appropriate that she electrified the dance floor to songs like “TOXIC” and “SLAVE FOR YOU!!” This dance contest was OVER before it started, and the LEGEND of Maria Karras (a Lymphoma Cancer Survivor herself) will forever live in the Lympho-Maniac record books.
2010 — Big Mike Ecklund
We knew Archie and his boys could play football, but no one knew that they could set the dance floor on fire! Big Mike Ecklund, never known for wasting a good weekend “hall pass”, impressed the masses with his “pencil sharpener” and “hung umpire” routine. Then quickly solidified his audience fan base by giving his son (Peyton) a public spanking on stage. Big Mike may live in Houston now, but owned New Orleans that night without shadow of a doubt.
2009 — The Brady Bunch
Anna Kilinski, Martine Chaisson, Marc Bonifacic, Travis Bonifacic, Charles Mcgeehan, Elizabeth Bowie, Kim Abercombrie, Nathan Abercombrie, and Juan Linares pulled off everyone’s favorite 70’s family in style, performing to classic hits such as “Keep On” (From Brady Bunch Movie), “The Hustle”, and then they lit it up in the finals to “Soldier Boy.”
2008 — The Kilinski Family
With one Kilinski you have fireworks and with 3 Kilinski’s you have a Bon Fire! After practicing with the Atlanta Falcons Dance team for over 3 weeks, Big Bob, Kenny K, and Anna came to the Lympho 2008 dance contest with an unbelieveable “own it” mentality. From start to finish it was never a question. The Kilinski’s were for real and raised the bar extremely high for future Lympho Dance Champions. After winning the disco ball that evening, the Kilinski’s spent the remaining 2 hours of the party signing autographs in the Republic green room. The price of fame… ?
2007 — Don Mayley
Not every computer programmer can bench press over 400 lbs and pull off wearing a purple pimp outfit. Definitely a rare breed, Don Mayley spent countless hours with his dance coach (daughter Kaitlin Mayley) perfecting his hip-hop routine. His efforts did not go unrewarded. Big D kicked it to “Ice Ice Baby” in the finals and showed everyone that even a computer programmer can learn how to shake it!
2006 — Shawn Darrah
You cannot keep a good thing down. After countless failed attempts at winning Lympho Dance Contest many were starting to label “Shawn D” as our very own Lympho “Susan Lucci.” This criticism only prompted Shawn to rise to the occasion in 2006. Dressed as classic Travolta (white tux/black shirt), Shawn D danced to Saturday Night Fever and ended his performance with a sliding dance move on a Republic coffee table which catapulted 6 wine glasses into a nearby brickwall on the dance floor. Robert Leblanc (Republic bar owner) was out $125 bucks in wine glasses but Shawn D got his disco ball that night!
2005 — Kenny Kilinski
Kenny K aka “The Brad Pitt of Hotlanta” was a New Orleans native and a hometown favorite amongst the ladies that evening. However, word had gotten out about our heated Lympho Dance Contest and people came from miles around to compete to be 2005’s Lympho Dance Champion. It was a very heated race which caused Kenny K to break out all of the moves including his legendary “White Dolphin”… the likes of which have not been seen since Destin Spring Break 1993. This single move erupted the crowd that evening (particularly the ladies) and pushed Kenny K over the top to be our 2005 Lympho Dance Champion.
2004 — Ray Anello
Straight from Wall Street, a complete stranger and newcomer to the Lympho Dance Contest, Ray Anello shocked the world when he won the 2nd Annual Lympho Dance Contest. Dressed as an 80’s rocker, with moves that would make W. Axl Rose envious, Ray Anello brought “Welcome to the Jungle” to a new level that night by dismantling his opponents on the dance floor. His prized disco ball now hangs proudly in his 11 year old daughter’s (Rachel Anello) room in Staten Island, NY.
2003 — Kenny Landry
In an Uptown backyard Kenny “Supa D” Landry shocked and electrified the crowd with his signature “Gator Dance.” While this dance put the nail in the coffin on his last good knee, it was more than worth it because he became our 1st ever Lympho Dance Champion and has the disco ball from that night to prove it.