CBS Colorado newscaster Kelly Werthmann is stepping away from the anchor desk this Saturday to perform a disco number as part of the 16th Annual Dancing with the Denver Stars Gala, joining a lineup of 13 Denver stars raising money for a nonprofit dance institution rooted in the city's historic Five Points neighborhood.
The gala, set for Saturday at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, serves as the primary annual fundraiser for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, according to CBS News Colorado. This year's event carries the theme “We Are Family: Celebrating Musical Families and Dance,” and each of the 13 celebrity participants spent three and a half months rehearsing a two-minute routine alongside professional dancers from the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble or Cleo II, as reported by Colorado Politics. Participants were introduced at a May kick-off reception, where they chose music and costumes tied to the family theme.
A Cast Drawn From Denver's Civic and Corporate World
Werthmann is not the only local media figure involved this year. CBS Colorado morning anchor Michelle Griego, who competed as a celebrity dancer in 2023, is co-chairing the 2026 gala alongside U.S. Bank commercial banking relationship manager Chris Ross, per the same Colorado Politics report. Colorado Health Foundation CEO Karen McNeil-Miller is serving as honorary chair.
The 2026 cast also includes Downtown Denver Partnership CEO Kourtny Garrett, Latin American Education Foundation CEO Nick Lopez, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance director Dr. Jimmy Johnson, and United Airlines DEN vice president Jonna McGrath, the article notes. Their participation spans business, non-profit, wildlife and transportation sectors across the metro area, illustrating the breadth of civic support the gala has attracted.
Sold Out for Six Years Running
Demand for tickets has been intense: the gala has sold out completely for six consecutive years leading into this weekend's event, according to Spotlight Colorado. Proceeds from the night directly fund Cleo Parker Robinson Dance's Arts-in-Education programs, which bring cultural dance curriculum into Denver Metro area schools, specifically targeting institutions where more than 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, per a Cleo Parker Robinson Dance video posted on Facebook.
A 56-Year-Old Institution Rooted in Five Points
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance was founded in 1970 by choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1974, entering its 56th season during the 2026–2027 performance year, according to Think 360 Arts for Learning. The organization now reaches more than 60,000 people annually across five pillars: its professional Ensemble, an Academy, a Theater, Arts-in-Wellbeing programming, and Education initiatives.
The dance company has been anchored in Five Points since the 1980s inside the former Shorter A.M.E. Church, a building added to state and federal historic registries just last month, as reported by 9News. The original church structure was rebuilt by the community in the 1920s after a Ku Klux Klan arson attempt, tying the building directly to Denver's Black cultural heritage.
New Center Expands the Campus
Earlier this year, CPRD expanded its footprint with the opening of the 25,000-square-foot Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts, which connects directly to the historic church building. The new facility features a 240-seat flexible theater with retractable seating and soundproof studios, according to CBS News, giving the organization room to host performances and civic events alongside its historic home.
For Werthmann, Saturday's disco routine is a brief detour from her regular newscasts, but the event she is dancing for underscores a decades-long relationship between Denver's broadcast community and one of the city's most enduring cultural institutions. The gala's sold-out crowd will watch 13 local leaders perform two-minute numbers, knowing the applause translates directly into arts programming for Denver classrooms where the need is greatest.
