Entertainment
10 February, 2025
Dancing to honour Meredith
A TWO-HOUR dance spectacular for a great cause is coming to the Cairns Performance Arts Centre on February 22 as the Dance Extravaganza returns for the 10th year with more glitz, glamour and talent than ever.
Dance Extravaganza is the major fundraising event of Meredith Anne Rundell Inc., a local charity which raises funds to grant wishes of women with metastatic breast cancer in honour of local woman and dancer Meredith Anne Rundell who died in 2015 from breast cancer.
This year Dance Extravaganza is going to treat the audience to a trip around the world and its traditional dances from Asia to Europe and South America with 11 dance academies – including national champions Mary Grace Anderson and Jaime Jesus and world renowned cuban dancers Airagdin Pavon and Artis Israel Ortiz – who will introduce world-class performances at CPAC from 7.30pm.
Co-founder of Meredith Anne Rundell Inc. and Mt Sheridan resident Kevin Loccisano said he was hoping for big attendance numbers this year.
“Last year we had approximately 500 people, my dream is to get to 600,” he said.
“Meredith was my partner. We got together and danced way back in 2005 and in 2009 she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer and we did that journey and in 2015 she passed away.
“Dance Extravaganza is our main fundraiser. When all treatment ceased with Meredith she organised a party with friends, Latin dance and music, so the concept behind Dance Extravaganza is based on that.
“This is our 10th year and our fourth or fifth at CPAC. This year I have 11 dance companies. I brought some professionals from Sydney and the Sunshine Coast and it’s all different genres, there’s ballet, contemporary, belly dancing, samba, salsa, bachata, South American and more.
“We shoot for the $8000 to $10,000 mark with this fundraiser, but I go off from how many seats we’d like to fill. This year we’d like to reach the 600 seats mark. We’ve been in conversations with the McGrath Foundation about the new direction we’re taking with our support and putting together some packages for March, initially from $5000 to $8000.
“There’ll be approximately 120-140 performers on stage, 27 acts and it’s two hours-worth of performances and we’re doing a tour of the world, Paris with ballet, tap from America, South America, Cuba, Egypt.”
Mr Loccisano said he wanted to show audiences the joy of dance as Ms Rundell experienced it.
“We met through dance and everything we’ve done has been based around our love of dance, experience life through dance and love,” he said.
“This is also a way in which Cairns’ dance companies can show their ways and we’ve got some amazing local talent. It’s great entertainment, so it’s a spectacular setting, this is a 110 per cent effort.”
Tickets are $45 and available via https://bit.ly/4gm8I5P
