On The Town:

While the country may not be in great shape economically, we can at least revel in the fact that we have a bountiful supply of reality television to watch.

So what if we can’t afford to buy anything or go anywhere, just think of how rich we are to have an endless cavalcade of bug-eating survivors, catty bachelorettes, wannabe singing sensations and acerbic arbiters presenting their dog and pony shows for our viewing pleasure.

Now while there are still those who refuse to acknowledge the rich culture the reality genre has brought to American society, there can be no denying that a few of these shows have actually had a positive result. At the turn of the last century most Americans born after 1950 didn’t know a mambo from a waltz or a tango from a fox trot. That has changed. Today, ballroom dancing has experienced an incredible resurgence in interest due to the popularity of reality shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance,” “SuperStars of Dance” and “Dancing With the Stars.”

Two stars of the reality dance world came to Burbank as the Media City Ballet of Los Angeles took over the New Woody’s Café at Woodbury University to present “Tango, Tonight!” Staged as a fundraiser for the organization, the evening’s special guests were Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo who were named the Best Couple Dancers in the World in the debut season of NBC’s “SuperStars of Dance.”

Among the volunteers and supporters who were welcomed to the event by the company’s Artistic Director Natasha Middleton, President Cindy Pease and event producer Steve Moyer, were Emmy Award-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey of “Northern Exposure” and “Desperate Housewives” fame, Dennis Malone, Kelly Ziolkoski, Natalie Middleton, Gigi Latimer, Rose Cruz, Hilda Zubricky, Nadia and Rose Verde, Tyler Simpson, Danielle Robinson, Alexandria Wong, and Hannah Hart.

Following a cocktail reception, Larici conducted a tango master class before an Argentine-themed dinner provided by Bon Appétit of Burbank. The highlight was a performance of the Tango by Larici and Barrionuevo.

Celebrating their eighth season, the Media City Ballet of Los Angeles is dedicated to providing Burbank and the surrounding communities with live productions that feature local dancers as well as professionals from around the world. The organization also conducts a junior company that trains young dancers.

Among those who assisted in making last week’s event a success were members of the company’s board of directors that includes Roland Armstorff, Carlos Castro, Natalie Garrotto, Carol Ferris, Cheryl Williams-Khoury, Tom Pease, Ron Leiker, Amy Navarrete, Adrianos Facchetti, Andre Van Niekerk, Doug Fitz-Simmons, Bridget Barstow, Jeffrey Smith and Anthony Flores.

?DAVID LAURELL can be contacted at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.