PORT ANGELES — A rich repast of dance from around the globe awaits the audience in the 13th annual Dancing for Toys performance at Peninsula College’s Pirate Union Building, aka the PUB, on Saturday evening.
Admission to the 7 p.m. show is a new toy or a cash donation for the Salvation Army’s holiday drive, which benefits children in the local community, noted organizer Jennifer Capehart Mora.
Dancing for Toys will crisscross the style spectrum in a two-hour show divided by an intermission at the PUB, which is in the center of Peninsula College at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
With great enthusiasm, Mora is looking forward to performances by 15 troupes and soloists including the Bollywood Performance Team, a newcomer to the event, from the Salsa N Seattle studio.
Along with the shimmering world of Indian dance, the styles of the Middle East, Latin America and the Pacific Northwest will be represented Saturday night: the PA Cabaret performers, the Aspire dancers from Sequim, the Beledi Blossoms, the Salsa in PA ensemble and the Use It or Lose It dancers from the Port Angeles Senior & Community Center will all glide onto the stage.
Bellydancers including Merryn Welch, the Shula Azhar troupe and Lydia Samperi, the founder of Dancing for Toys, will also join the party — so the audience members are encouraged to trill and cheer as if they’re at a performance in Egypt, Persia or Tunisia.
“This is a tremendous event that has really grown over the years,” said Rick Ross, Peninsula College’s associate dean for athletics and student programs.
Student leaders partner with Mora and the dance community, he noted, to collect thousands of dollars’ worth of holiday gifts for local kids.
For more information, find the Dancing for Toys page on Facebook or email Mora at jacisheefra@yahoo.com.
