Busy mom and entrepreneur looks forward to her first big dance
Kelli Robinson has never danced professionally or in front of a crowd, but her path to becoming a contestant for the Nov. 17 Dancing with the Detroit Stars gala event seems almost straightforward in retrospect.
Robinson, who has lived alternately in the South and the Detroit area, says she did volunteer work with South Oakland Shelter when she was younger, and she has donated silent auction packages for the event in the past. A few of her friends and neighbors in Beverly Hills have also competed in the event over the last two years and encouraged her to follow suit.
Then her phone rang one day in August, with a representative from South Oakland Shelter on the other line.
“I thought, why not? It’s a great, great, great cause and I knew that a lot of friends would be very supportive, and it’s such a cool opportunity,” Robinson says. “I just thought I’d give it a try this year.”
Like most contestants, Robinson has paired with an instructor from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Royal Oak, which is helping to train our stars. She’s been practicing since her kids started school, squeezing in two or three practices a week whenever she can.
Robinson is an independent stylist and founding leader for Stella & Dot, a jewelry company that offers what it calls “flexible social selling business opportunities” to its salespeople in the vein of Mary Kay or Avon. She’s also the mother of a 2 ½-year-old girl and three school-age boys.
Robinson says she appreciates her instructor and dance partner’s patience as she learns the routine, which she says is a “mish-mash” of different dance styles. She’s also a little anxious about getting her outfit squared away, saying she’s waiting for three or four outfits to arrive in the mail as possibilities.
“I truly am somebody that loves to take on a challenge and learn something new,” she says. “Being an entrepreneur, that’s the story of my everyday life, is taking on a challenge and learning in positive ways … and hustling. That’s just me.
“Taking on this charity aspect and learning to dance has been a treat for me.”
To support Kelli on November 17, visit her fundraising page here. Tickets are still available for this one-of -a-kind event, and it’s definitely a show you won’t want to miss!
