Judge Wittenberg Salsas for a Cause

Practicing his dance steps Friday night in a back hallway of the Centerpoint Marriott in Auburn Hills, Judge Jamie Wittenberg looked a bit like a teenager about to go to his first school dance (well, maybe if that dance were held in the 1940s or 1950s, since nobody dances any real “steps” these days).

The Berkley resident and judge was definitely nervous, but his big debut a few minutes later was for a worthy cause.

“Tonight, we’re raising funds to support our youth programs,” said Bonnie Hanes, executive director of the Oakland Mediation Center (OMC), “programs that are proven to reduce bullying, violence and dropouts.

"Our grant funds recently went away, and we knew that if we didn’t do something quickly, we’d lose the programs," Hanes said. "And this ‘Dancing with the Judges’ idea just sounded really fun and like it would get a lot of people excited and interested in what we do here at the OMC.”

The organization's Valentine’s Ball featured a cocktail hour, sit-down dinner and the night’s main event, "Dancing with the Judges," in which Oakland County district and circuit court judges, a retired judge and one federal judge performed ballroom dances with professional partners.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson was master of ceremonies, with Channel 4, WDIV, news anchor Karen Drew and lawyer and competitive ballroom dancer Judy Susskind providing commentary.

The dancing was beautiful and hilarious, depending on each judge’s ability.

Although Wittenberg was nervous, his salsa dance, performed with professional partner Diana Trivax-Levy to the song Mambo No. 5, went off without any hitches.

“I’m really relieved,” Wittenberg said, coming off the dance floor of the Marriott’s Oakland Ballroom. “But it was really fun.”

Two months ago, however, the idea of dancing in front of a large group of people – in fact, the idea of dancing, period – did not seem like a good fit for the second-generation graduate.

“I was surprised when he agreed to do it,” said Wittenberg’s wife, Staci. “Jamie has no background in dancing. None. He doesn’t even dance at weddings."

“I barely danced at my own wedding,” Wittenberg agreed.

“But,” his wife said, “with four daughters” – twins Brooke and Maya, 20 months; Talia, who turns 4 in March; and Arielle, who turns 6 in March – “he probably figures he’s going to have to dance at at least four weddings.”

The judge’s extended family was there to show support as well, including his sister, Jodie Heicklen of Oak Park.

“I’m excited for him,” she said before his perfomance. “It’s something he never would have done, except for the cause, supporting the OMC’s youth programs.”

Even though the Wittenbergs' oldest daughter is only in kindergarten (at ), her parents said they already can see how initiatives such as the OMC’s can help the county’s children.

“Even in kindergarten,” Staci Wittenberg said, “the bullying is already starting, with certain little girls making fun of others or calling them names. So this cause is one we really support.”

Ella Mouat, 17, a peer mediator and guest speaker at OMC events, echoed that sentiment. She said she’s seen firsthand the positive results of the OMC's Peers Making Peace program, which has resulted in a 75 percent decrease in expulsions, 90.2 percent decrease in assaults and a 57.7 percent decrease in discipline referrals among participants.

“I’m a peer mediator at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor,” she said, “and it really helps reduce the tension between ethnic groups. (The process) starts with very, very, small questions, but by the end, it really works.”

The cause was serious, sure, but the event was pure fun, with Patterson cracking the requisite corny jokes (“How many dance instructors does it take to screw in a light bulb? Five, six, seven, eight …”) and a few judges eliciting catcalls and whistles with their deliberately funny and sometimes risqué dances (U.S. District Court Judge George Steeh and 6th Circuit Court Judge Ed Sosnick, we’re looking at you).

Mindy Hitchcock, a lawyer from Southfield, summed up the dual nature of the event.

“I trained as a mediator at the OMC, and now I volunteer at Common Ground,” she said. “Mediation provides such a cost-effective service for those who need it, and Oakland is really the top of the top.

“But,” she continued, starting to smile, “I’m really looking forward to seeing the judges I’ve appeared in front of out there dancing.”

Wittenberg (who, by the way, is the youngest judge in Metro Detroit and the second-youngest elected judge in Michigan at age 36) knew going in that the event would be a chance to show a different side of himself to those he works with on a daily basis.

“Normally, lawyers are a little nervous to be in front of judges,” he said. “So this is a definite role reversal.”

The laughs and cheers weren’t for nothing: Hanes, the OMC executive director, said she thinks the event could raise a total of $10,000 through ticket sales, sponsors and raffle tickets.

“Something fun like this also helps raise awareness,” she said, “so that next time we call on people to solicit funds, they’ll already know about us. We’re planting a seed, and hopefully, it will grow."

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