It may only be her first year dancing, but local sophomore DeeDee Trousdale is already making big moves.

The Elkmont High student joined the school’s dance line last spring, having never given dance much thought before. Now, after months of practice and performances on the football field, she’s joining local professionals for the 13th annual Stars Dancing for HEALS event, 6 p.m. Thursday.

“I’m extremely nervous for it being my first pro performance, but I feel my coach has prepared me enough that I feel prepared,” Trousdale said.

Modeled after the hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” Stars Dancing for HEALS pairs prominent community members with local professional dancers. Online viewers, event attendees and others can vote for their favorite couple by making financial donations in their name to HEALS.

The organization then uses the funds raised to help provide medical, dental and optometry care to elementary students in the Huntsville City and Madison County school systems.

Makennah Morring, an instructor for HEALS, said she first participated with the HEALS fundraiser when she was about Trousdale’s age. She said she was proud when a fellow HEALS instructor saw Trousdale during a ballroom showcase and suggested Trousdale be in the opening number.

After all, as Elkmont’s dance line instructor, she got to witness firsthand Trousdale’s work ethic and progress. Practicing for HEALS was no different.

“She has learned an entire three-and-a-half-minute dance in about an hour, which is absolutely phenomenal,” Morring said. “We’ve been working on this opening number for about three months now, and she picked it up in about an hour.”

Trousdale said she practices at least an hour each day, if not two. She said she incorporates a lot of stretching and divides her time dancing between her front yard and Madison Ballroom Dance Studio.

“I didn’t picture dance being a part of my life, but now that it is, I don’t think I’m ever going to let it go,” she said.

Joining the dance line was like becoming part of a family, she said, and now she gets to spend weekends learning even more about her newest extracurricular. Trousdale said she loves dance because nobody does it exactly the same but everyone can use it to express themselves and be their own person.

Visit https://bit.ly/StarsForHEALSLive to live-stream the show, watch last year’s event and vote for performers.