Casey Bortnick and Joy Barnard
Every dollar brings them closer to victory and supports a cause that changes lives far beyond the dance floor. Donate below!
Casey Bortnik
A native New York's North Country, Casey Bortnick graduated from SUNY Brockport with a degree in broadcast journalism and from SUNY Morrisville with an associate's degree in Journalist Technology. Casey recently celebrated his 23rd year in broadcasting after stops in Jamestown, Rochester, Buffalo and Albany. He was promoted to the anchor desk in 2012 after serving as a Video Journalist, Health Reporter, and General Assignment reporter with a focus in politics.
Casey is a decorated journalist, winning a NY Emmy in 2023, seven RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow awards, and multiple New York Associated Press Broadcasters awards.
The youngest of five children, Casey grew up in NY’s North Country. A former college football player, Casey remains active. He enjoys spending time with friends and family, and particularly his beloved labrador retriever Remi. An avid sports fan, Casey passionately follows the New York Jets, the New York Mets and Boston Celtics. When it comes to college sports, you’ll find him rooting for Notre Dame Football and Duke Basketball.
Joy Barnard
Joy Barnard is about two things: dance and helping others. She has been studying and teaching dance and performing for years. Why? She loves it and dance raises peoples’ spirits. Her dance events include fundraising activities to help where she can. She travels far and wide to find the best teachers and workshops in order to refine her own art and to bring home the best for her students. Her focus is on building a large dance community that wants to be the best they can. In her studio, J&R Dance LLC, Joy teaches Ballroom and Latin dancing and wedding dances and will not let you get away with dancing poorly.
With her extensive training and understanding of the elements of dance she has developed an uncanny ability to turn anyone into a dancer.
She is also very busy attracting top-notch dance professionals from around the nation and world to come to our area to teach our growing group of dancers through large workshops and private lessons. Currently, she is growing an expanding dance community in West Coast Swing and Argentine Tango – two dances now becoming very popular. For West Coast Swing she is bringing to Albany an international competitive event that is the biggest the area has seen and will be drawing hundreds of participants from around the Northeast and nation.
Thursday nights her J&R Dance studio puts on a weekly ballroom dance for the public called “Dance with Joy”. In addition to having a good time dancing her goal is to raise money for charities and other humanitarian causes on a weekly basis. In the last year significant donations were made to fund a complete rebuild of a school damaged by a typhoon in the Philippines and also to fund Ukraine Aid, Hospice, Albany Mission, Ronald McDonald House, Medical Supplies, and Toys for Tots.
There is nothing ordinary about Joy. She brings her own particular spice and flavor to dance but mostly won’t stop giving to others.
