And so, it’s nearly here. Months of apprehension (for some of us, anyway), hours of dancing lessons and hours and hours of practice, and in a matter of days it will be over.

That was Linda Cunningham’s point, as she presided Sunday over practices at State Street Dance Studio for a group dance number for all of this year’s “Dancing With the Geneva Stars” dancers.

She’s been teaching dance for about 30 years, she told the 12 of us. And she told us what she tells all her dancers, as they prepare for a performance.

It only comes around once, she said. This is it. This particular performance will never come again. And then, it will be over. And so, enjoy the ride.

And so, I think, we all shall. I think those of us who approached this whole event with trepidation are now fully on board. We have our costumes. We have our jewelry. Hopefully, we have our routines down, our steps, our one-two-threes, or our slow-slow, quick-quick, slow, slow slow ...

We certainly have teamwork down. It may look, from the group photos that are about town, that we practice together. Nope. We all met together on our first night, when the photos were taken. Since then, each team has had individual lessons, though occasionally times would overlap with other teams. But it wasn’t until a week ago that we all danced together.

What a great group. I grant you that my husband and I weren’t part of the three previous renditions of “Dancing With the Geneva Stars.” But I can say we’re thrilled to be part of THIS group. All friendly. All very supportive of each other. All engaged in doing well and putting on a good show.

That show—plus an appetizer buffet, cash bar and dancing—will be Saturday at Eagle Brook Country Club in Geneva. The website is closed for reservations, with a notation that those who want tickets should call the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission hotline (630-938-4530) and leave a message. There may be some seating (at $35 a seat) still available. Cash bar opens at 6 p.m., with the buffet serving starting at 6:30 p.m. Ballroom doors open at 7 p.m.

And online voting continues through Friday. 

Proceeds benefit the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission, which works to create “diverse cultural art experiences that engage the community” and the Geneva Academic Foundation, which raises funds to buy academic extras for all of Geneva’s public schools. Some of the events in which the arts commission has been involved include summertime concerts and plays at Geneva’s RiverPark, the Geneva Film Festival (coming up in late March), Shakespeare in the Park and others. GAF, meanwhile, has funded more than $1 million in all kinds of brain-boosting extras. 

I can speak only for myself, but I’m pretty sure none of the 12 of us are thinking about summer concerts or next year’s GAF grants. We’re thinking about Saturday ... 

(“Dancing with the Geneva Stars” features six Geneva couples each performing a particular dance at the Feb. 4 event. Supporters, even those not in attendance, can vote ($1 a vote) for their favorites. Proceeds benefit the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission and the Geneva Academic Foundation. Tickets are $35 each and may be purchased (along with votes! — and those are extra, by the way) by visiting http://www.geneva.il.us/livingingeneva/appboards/cac/dancing.htm. That site also contains information on the dancing couples, including my husband, Steve Olson, and myself, Art and Connie Wagner, Maureen and Jim Radecki, Mike and Heidi Jacobi, Eric and Kari Bartel and Derek Swanson and Laura Rush. Information also is available at www.genevarts.org.)