Sonia Siwa of the Paseo De Marianas Promoters said the Koenji Awaodori Team will be here to celebrate their 25th anniversary in April.
She said the community will be treated to a more colorful festival in 2010.
“The Saipan team, composed of about 50 members from Tanapag, Gualo Rai and Koblerville, are very dedicated in their practice,” Siwa said.
She added that interested young people, 7 to 15 years old, can still join the Awaodori Saipan team.
Siwa just arrived from Japan where she attended the Awaodori Festival.
This year, she said only one member of the Saipan team made it to Japan because of lack of funds.
She said the festival was held in several places in Japan.
“We would have loved to bring many of our dancers to join the festival in Japan but financial constraints hindered us from doing so,” she said.
Last year, six members of the Saipan team were able to join the Awaodori Festival.
“We were able to raise funds for the airfare and expenses of the participants last year, but this year we did not have any means to help our dancers defray the cost of travel and accommodation,” Siwa said.
The Awaodori Festival is one of the largest in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year.
