LIHUE — Whether you’re looking for “Funkytown” or a place where “It’s Raining Men,” you’ll find your mark on March 26 in Lihue, where you Boogie Oogie Oogie for three straight hours to classic disco hits. The Disco-Dance-A-Thon, sponsored by
LIHUE — Whether you’re looking for “Funkytown” or a place where “It’s Raining Men,” you’ll find your mark on March 26 in Lihue, where you Boogie Oogie Oogie for three straight hours to classic disco hits.
The Disco-Dance-A-Thon, sponsored by the Kauai Dance Center, is an annual fundraiser for student scholarships at the Kauai Dance Center. It runs from 3-6 p.m., and there will be prizes for the best-dressed disco dancer in the house.
There will also be a car wash from noon to 2 p.m. and a silent auction.
The nonprofit studio was started in 1998 by husband and wife duo Jennifer and Mel Bell-Gray, who both have backgrounds in dance.
“We’ve created a program that’s really including of people,” Jennifer Bell-Gray said. “Our philosophy is anyone can dance.”
Jennifer is a graduate of London’s Royal Ballet, and Mel is a singer/songwriter, filmmaker, and director. Together, they created a studio that caters to anyone from ages 3 to adult and gives them the opportunity to dance in an annual, original show.
This year, that show is titled The Mokan NoKan Roadshow, and it’s based on a television show the studio is creating.
“We’ve produced the pilot episode and the vision is to make it into a series featuring a lot of our past students as dancers,” Bell-Gray said.
All of the music and choreography has been created for the show, which will debut on May 14 at the Kauai Marriott Resort. It will feature dance styles like ballet, hip-hop, lyrical and hula.
The production will be Kauai Dance Studio’s 19th show on the island.
“Everyone gets equal attention in these shows, so there’s not just one star,” Bell-Gray said. “The shows are crafted around the dancers and so they highlight their strengths.”
Kauai Dance Studio started with around 40 students and now has about 100. Those students will bring pledge forms to the Disco-Dance-A-Thon, where supporters will pledge money if they complete three hours of disco dancing that evening.
“It’s open to the public too, and it’s free so everyone can come out,” Bell-Gray said. “Really, it’s an opportunity to sponsor students for the upcoming year in dance.”
There will be refreshments and games. VIP tickets are $30, and include an organic plate lunch.
Info: (808) 823-9588
