Dreams do come true.
For the last 15 years, Sandi Henn of rural Elgin, has watched the TV show starring Kelly Ripa on ABC, now called Live with Kelly and Mark, thinking one day she might be in the audience in New York City.
Monday, November 17, 2025 was that day. And better yet, she was selected to dance for a few seconds as part of the show. “I was so nervous; I didn’t even think about being on national TV, I just wanted to be one of those dancers,” Henn said.
Dressed in her New York City souvenir sweatshirt and lifting a signature Kelly and Mark coffee mug, it’s an understatement to say she was bubbling over with excitement recalling the experience. Hardly taking a breath as she talked, maybe ecstatic is a better description.
It all started when Henn and her two sisters decided a long weekend in New York City would be a fun getaway. With one sister living in northern Virginia and knowledgeable about big city tourism, the idea began taking shape last summer. On the bucket list was to see the 911 Memorial, experience a Broadway show (turned out to be the musical Lion King), check out the Rockettes in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and top on Henn’s list, be in the audience for the Kelly and Mark show. Check and check on all.
To get ‘Kelly’ show tickets, airing Monday through Friday at 9 am CT, requires about a month lead time. The studio holds about 200 and, though no data is available about how many requests are received, it’s well known that the show is quite popular for tourists.
So the three sisters are ‘in the room’ and the opportunity arises for someone to be selected prior to airtime to dance on stage live during the show. With urging from her siblings and those around her, Henn had theopportunity to compete against three other women about her age for the coveted dance spot.
Henn is on the coaching staff for Elgin’s Wolfpack volleyball and track teams, represented by athletes from the public and parochial schools in town. She constantly walks the country roads near husband Tom and her farmhouse. This physical adeptness turned into quick moves, even a knee bend or two. Her high energy and captivating smile earned crowd cheers and the coveted spot.
“They took me behind stage, had me sign a consent agreement, gave me some water, and told me to rehearse in front of a mirror if I wanted. I could watch the show on a TV screen nearby,” Henn said. “There were lots of people backstage, most eating, and Angie (obviously assigned to her) was appalled that I had never been to New York City before.” +
….see more at this week’s Elgin Review.
