Sonia Siwa of the Paseo de Marianas Promoters Inc. said the community is invited to watch the colorful performances at the Office on Aging at 10:30 this morning.
At 11:30 a.m., Siwa said the teams will perform at the Beach Road entrance of DFS Galleria.
Another performance is slated at 12:15 p.m. at the lobby of Fiesta Resort & Spa Hotel in front of Mai restaurant.
“The final performance of the teams will be at the street market at 5:30 pm, and with this we would like to invite everybody to take some time off to watch and be a part of the 3rd Awaodori Festival at the Paseo de Marianas,” Siwa said.
Siwa earlier said the Saipan team had been spending much time practicing at the Koblerville Learning Center under the supervision of Vernon-Lee Manglona.
Siwa said the team is fortunate to be dancing with the Tensui Ren Group which is one of the most famous dancing teams in Tokyo.
Last year, six students from Saipan were chosen to join the two-day Awaodori festival in Tokyo.
Today, the Ohayashi Band will be performing the traditional Awaodori music.
Major sponsors for the festival are the Fiesta Resort & Spa, NTT Docomo Pacific and DFS Galleria in collaboration with the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.
Awa Odori is a festival held during the Buddhist observance of O-bon, the time when the spirits of the dead are believed to return to their ancestral homes.
