Even though it has been nearly two months since Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic devastation to the Gulf Coast, thousands of people are still without homes and basics such as food, water and clothing.
University Of Memphis student Liz DiMaggio, along with the members of her dance troupe, is doing DanceforKatrina, which will be held Sunday at First Congregation Church at 2 p.m. It will raise money for the victims of Katrina.
"Anytime a tragedy like this happens, it is human nature to want to do something to help," said DiMaggio, a junior anthropology major.
She is apart of a belly-dancing troupe who specializes in tribal fusion belly dance, which is a blend of different cultures. She started the DanceforKatrina troupe with fellow dancer Mindy Miller.
DanceforKatrina is in association with Dance From the Heart, which began after the Indonesian tsunami.
Denise Robinson, one of DiMaggio's troupe mates, started it.
"She came up with the idea of organizing belly dancers from across the country to give a free performance to raise donations to send to the cause," DiMaggio said.
So far, Dance From the Heart has raised almost $10,000. About $1,200 was raised in Memphis alone.
LeAmber Russell, a freshman child psychology major, said she thinks that raising awareness for a positive cause should be required of everyone.
"It is a good thing to be involved in a good cause," she said. "Anything to do with the world we live in, our society, is important for me to know."
DiMaggio said she has always been interested in belly dancing and she got involved once she decided to take a class.
"I went one day and my life has never been the same," DiMaggio said. She said that since she joined, not a day has gone by that she does not do something dance-related.
"Whether it's practicing with my troupe, researching a North African nomadic tribe or browsing costumes on eBay," she said.
Prior to joining the troupe, she did not have a lot of volunteer experience.
"Now that I have this new venture that is interesting and fun for me, I have found myself doing more and more," DiMaggio said.
Duong Nguyen, freshman biomedical engineering major, said she would like to attend the event.
"It seems interesting," Nguyen said. "I have seen belly dancing before and it looks like fun. It is definitely not American."
The event will also feature salsa, cabaret, folkloric, Bantaba West African dancing as well as ticket raffles. DiMaggio knows her contribution helps the problem even it is far from being solved.
"It is our way of drawing attention to the fact that there is still a long way to go before those who were affected by the damaging storms have their lives back to normal," she said.
No tickets are required for the event.
