Nurse practitioner juggles family, work and ‘Dancing Like the Stars’

Meagan Cherry is one of the local celebrities in this year's fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Local personalities from across North Mississippi are showing off their ballroom dancing skills as part of an annual event that helps kids across the area.

For more than two months now, Megan Cherry has been coming from her job as a nurse practitioner in Pontotoc to the Dance Studio of Tupelo for lessons.

She is one of the celebrities in this year’s Dancing Like the Stars and it is a big commitment.  Dancers commit to 25 lessons to learn a ballroom dance routine to a song of their choice.  They also agree to raise money.  It is the biggest fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi.  Along with her career, Megan is a wife and a mom.  She has a six-year-old daughter and three-year-old triplets.

“I had to think about all the sacrifices that my family would have to make for me to be able to do it, mainly my husband, so he’s been at home with the girls a lot, but they’ve gotten a lot of one on one daddy/daughter time,” Cherry said.

Meagan’s pro dance instructor is Benjamin Pryor.  He is teaching Megan a Latin-inspired ballroom dance routine to the song “If I can’t have you” by Shawn Mendes.

Benjamin says Meagan has been a star student.

“Our first lesson, she came in, had a big smile on her face, we got to working, found out what she wanted to dance, she hit the ground running, she’s a natural, and the first time we had another pro come into the lesson, she didn’t falter, she got up, did the run through, great, it will be awesome,” Pryor said.

Meagan has visited the clubs and says she learned a lot about the mission and its impact on kids.

“I got to see, overheard one of the ladies, counselor, talking to one of the girls and talking to her about making good decisions.  I guess I really didn’t think about the Boys and Girls Club being about that, I thought more about academic excellence, but I heard her talking to the girl about making good decisions and I thought that was amazing,” Cherry said.

It has been a lot of hard work for Meagan to juggle dance lessons, family, and work, but Meagan says it will all be worth it to help make sure the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi continue turning out young champions.

Dance Like the Stars is Saturday night at the Bancorpsouth arena.  A grand champion for fundraising will be named, along with a champion dancer.   WCBI’s Allie martin will be co-hosting the event. For ticket information, or to donate, go to, bgcnms.org