Photo by Amy Carper with Carper Creative Photography | Shot on location in the Little Rock River Market
Each year, community leaders put on their dancing shoes in hopes of winning the title that is earned at the Dancing with Our Stars Gala. All this fun and friendly competition among participants benefits the Children’s Tumor Foundation and supports the Arkansas chapter’s research and mission: to end and find a cure for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that disturbs cell growth in the nervous system, causing tumors to form on nerve tissue.
Leading up to the grand event, we’re putting each star in the spotlight on our blog.
Meet Aaron Perkins
Instructor: Chante Erby with Funk Fusion Academy
Aaron Perkins is the owner of Face Your Day Salon and the newly opened Face Your Day Xpress – the first salon located inside a Marriott hotel in Arkansas. For three years he polished his craft at Vogue Magazine in New York City and now works with high profile clientele, weddings, special events, and pageants. He is also the resident beauty expert for KATV Channel 7’s Good Afternoon Arkansas, writes a regular beauty column for Celebrate Magazine, and serves as a special makeup educator for the Paul Mitchell Imagine School. Aaron’s bridal work has been featured in Southern Bride magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde, Weddings in Arkansas, Arkansas Bride, Inviting Arkansas, AY Magazine and AR Democrat-Gazette High Profile.
“Being able to dance on behalf of the Children’s Tumor Foundation is a dream come true. I have volunteered the past 2 years for this organization, and I am proud to be a star this season. I will be channeling all of the dance gods to give me the strength and the moves to bring this trophy home.”
Aaron Perkins is extremely active in the nonprofit community and has served on the board of directors for Arkansas’ first fully-staged opera company Opera in the Rock, as creative director for the Big Role Model program benefiting Big Brother Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, and as the Style Chair for CARTI Festival of Fashion for the last five years. For the last three years, he has worked with the American Heart Association Sweethearts benefitting the American Heart Foundation of Central Arkansas. In 2015, Mr. Perkins was one of the first three men ever elected to the board of the Fine Arts Club of Arkansas in its over 100 years of history. Since 2016, Aaron has glammed the Women & Children First: The Center Against Family Violence’s annual Woman of the Year honorees including Melanie Jackson, Lisenne Rockefeller, and Betsy Singleton. In 2017, he created a custom shade of lipstick from his cosmetics line Aaron Charles Cosmetics for all the women in attendance to benefit the UAMS Cancer Institute’s Gala for Life. Aaron continues to lend his time and talents to charitable organizations in Central Arkansas including the Children’s Tumor Foundation, The Rep, Easter Seals, Youth Home, and Rock the Runway, as well as teaching career makeup application workshops for the working residents of Our House.
On Thursday, September 6th Aaron will compete for the dancing title and mirror ball trophy at the gala, in addition to soliciting contributions + votes prior to the event.
