Top Stories of 2017: Oxford's Kenny Hazlewood Wins Tupelo Dance Competition

 All photographs by Danny Dickey

At a towering 6’5 and 228 pounds, Kenny Hazlewood looks more like an NBA shooting guard than a twinkle-toed hoofer. But the Oxford native proved he’s a lot lighter on his feet than you’d think at the 2017 “Dance Like the Stars” fundraiser in Tupelo.

Hazlewood and his dance partner, Lauryn Sperling, won the Judges Award at the event, held at the BancorpSouth Arena in late September. The competition, which partners area residents with professional dancers in the vein of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” raised money for the Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi (BGCNM).
Hazlewood and Sperling, with a lot of help from Hazlewood’s wife, Kaytee, raised $21,626.90 for the cause.
Their routine, an East Coast swing number to the tune of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” earned big laughs and cheers in equal measure from the moment they took the stage. A grinning Hazlewood, clad in shorts, knee-high socks and a bowtie, looked like the quintessential high-school nerd … until that booty began to wiggle.
“There are lots of song choices when it comes to swing routines,” said Hazlewood, a district sales representative with food and beverage distributor Ben E. Keith. “Lauryn gave me a list of songs she thought would work, and it came down to ‘Bad Bad Leroy Brown’ or ‘All About That Bass’ for me. Kaytee wanted ‘All About That Bass’ because she thought it would be hilarious.”
Their friends, polled on Kaytee’s Facebook page, agreed, and Hazlewood and Sperling got to work, practicing three hours a week for three months until they’d nailed the choreography.
“Then, for the last couple of weeks, we just practiced the entire routine over and over, with Lauryn coaching me on proper dance technique,” Hazlewood said. “It was 13 weeks of work to get that two-minute routine down pat.”
“I don’t get very antsy speaking in front of a group of people,” he noted. “The key to speaking to a big group is to be prepared. That doesn’t necessarily mean being well-scripted, but having done your homework, knowing your material very well, reciting key points in the speech to yourself, etc.  Just good mental preparation.  I approached this dance the same way.”

Sperling, a graduate student in biology at Ole Miss, had participated in “Dance Like the Stars” before, so she knew how to get her partner ready for it.
“Lauryn is a great teacher and had me well-prepared,” Hazlewood said. “She’s a really nice young lady and a very good dancer. When you spend so much time with someone every week, you get to know one another pretty well. We have some similar interests, particularly cheese and wine, and just got along really well. I think it showed in our dancing. I felt confident that I knew the routine, so I was ready to go out there and execute it.”
Once they arrived at the BancorpSouth Arena and hit the dance floor for dress rehearsal, the bright lights threw Hazlewood off a bit, but stage fright was not a problem.
“It felt good—a little nerve-wracking, but that was mostly because of the spotlight. The light got in my eyes, and I got lost on the stage, so I was concerned that might happen (in the actual performance). When everyone started giggling right off the bat and I could tell people were going to like the routine, it loosened me up. About halfway in, I could tell I was going to get through without a mistake, and it really felt great. When I rewatched it, I could see my facial expression change around that time.”
The competition was tough, with 11 couples vying for the trophy, but Hazlewood and Sperling put in a crowd-pleasing performance, even though the audience consisted largely of Tupelo people.
Even Hazlewood’s 11-year-old daughter, Maggie, was impressed.
“I was super-proud of him and how hard he worked when he won the award,” she said. “And even though the routine was kind of embarrassing at the beginning, I still thought it was incredible.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hazlewood gives all the credit to Sperling.
“Heading over for dress rehearsal, I had no expectations,” he recalled. “We hadn’t danced in front of anyone or seen any other routines because everyone else practiced in Tupelo. After the dress rehearsal, Lauryn had me convinced we could place in the top three, so my expectations changed. I was really happy to win, but mostly for her. She’s a competitive dancer and a dance instructor, and I wanted everyone to know how good of a job she did.  She choreographed the entire routine and literally taught me everything I know about dancing.”
Sperling did such a great job, they’re still dancing together, Hazlewood noted.
“Lauryn and I will probably perform the routine for the Ole Miss Ballroom Dance Club next month, and then I’ll retire that one. But I’ve already asked about taking lessons from Lauryn with Kaytee this spring. I think that would be something fun for us to do.”

Rick Hynum is editor-in-chief of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached by emailing rick.hynum@hottytoddy.com.