HANAPEPE — It’s their fourth year participating in the Hanapepe Relay for Life, but the kids at Aloha Dance Studio in Lihue are still looking forward to the all-night, annual event.
“It’s an emotional event for everyone — from our little ones to our adult volunteers — because so many of our families have been touched by cancer,” said owner of Aloha Dance Studio, Tiffany Dodge, “But it’s really good to do something positive, and to have the kids be part of something big.”
The group of 31 kids, ranging in age from 8 to 18, will be performing for 30 minutes in front of the main stage in Hanapepe.
“After all the survivors and the caretakers do their walk, our performance will follow,” Dodge said.
This year, Dodge said the studio brought on a new teacher who has been pushing their 130 students to new heights.
They’ve been gearing up for their May competition on Oahu and they’ll be using the Relay for Life event to test drive their new moves.
“We have both group and solos, duos and trios performing,” Dodge said. “There’s more challenging, more intricate pieces and there’s three different levels in the elite company group: mini, junior and seniors.”
Dodge said that initially, the students at Aloha Dance Studio were participating in the Relay for Life as entertainment, but it took no time for the studio to join the fundraising.
“We thought it’s a great way to support the community and to give back,” Dodge said. “We now have our own booth and everything.”
The Relay for Life Kauai will be at the Hanapepe Soccer Field starting at 6 p.m. Saturday and will run until 6 a.m. Sunday.
