Bangkok--15 Nov--DC Consultants and Marketing
Thailand’s first annual charity Dance-athon will kick off later this year in an 8 hour non-stop daytime event to raise money for two worthy causes; SCAD Foundation (Soi Cats And Dogs) and the Able the Disabled Foundation which offers mobility to disabled children.
“Reasons to Dance” will be held in Bangkok, at the newest and most talked about venue in town, the Siam Kempinski Hotel, which has donated its ballroom for the day. The Dance-athon will run from 9am until 5pm on Sunday November 21. Leading many of the dance routines will be Fusion Academy which is Thailand’s newest centre for dance, music and drama. Dance-athon hosts will include SCAD Ambassador Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005, TV Host Raine Grady and the founder of Fusion Acedemy, UK celebrity Ben Douglas. The event requires no dance skills and there are no age limits.
Organizer Tami Fowlie has undertaken several charity dance-a-thons in Dubai for up to 700 attendees. She promises a fun day for the whole family.
“This is a day to follow the leader and the dance styles will change every half hour,” she said. “You’ll get to try everything from the New Zealand Maori Haka to Cha Cha Cha, from Salsa to line dancing, from Bollywood disco to Hip Hop and the results are often hilarious!”
Each dancer will require a minimum sponsorship of Baht 300 to enter and can be sponsored as much as possible by friends and family. Companies can also sponsor either the event or their own dance group. There will be prizes for the best dancers, the best dressed, the youngest and the oldest and much more. Fusion Academy’s Ben Douglas will also be on the look-out for new talent. “So don’t be afraid to strut your stuff”, he said.
Apart from coffee, tea, water and snacks provided throughout the day, Siam Kempinski Hotel will also offer discount vouchers of 20% for any Dance-a-thon guests who want to stay on and dine at the hotel for Loy Krathong evening. (At Brasserie Europa)
Details about invited guestsSCAD Ambassador
Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005
Born in a small coastal town by the Black Sea in Russia, Natalie immigrated to Toronto, Canada with her parents at the age of 13. She’s been playing the piano on her own since then. After completing high school, Natalie attended Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Information Technology Management and Marketing.
Natalie won the title of Miss Universe Canada 2005. As part of her duties, she par-took in a motivational school tour for grade and high school students where she talked to kids about dangers of peer-pressure and importance of believing in yourself.
Today she lives and works in Thailand and is married to Thai tennis superstar Paradorn Srichaparn.
As an animal lover, Natalie became a spokesperson for SCAD - an organization that ensures animal welfare on the streets of Bangkok. The latest project involved Natalie in a Neuter Your Pet Campaign.
Ben Douglas
He is founder and creative director of Fusion. He started out in showbusiness at the age of six, working in the theatre, on advertisements and as a television presenter. He won rave reviews playing the Butler Drake in 'Annie' and presented Owl TV with Michaela Strachan as well as acting in 'The Labours of Erica' with Brenda Blethyn. After training at Arts Educational and the Rambert School of Ballet he worked as a dancer before being snapped up by Granada to be their social commentator on Livetime and co-present Sixtalk with Esther Mcvey.
He also presented Perfect Parenting with Sharon Davis. In 1999 Ben expanded into the printed media and is now a fixture on the international party circuit, reporting from such glittering events as the Oscars, the Venice Film Festival and the Baftas. He is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, OK! Magazine, Hello, the Sunday Times and many others.
TV Host - Raine Grady
Raine has more than 15 years experience in television, documentary and video production. She was the host of the popular Travel Asia & Beyond series on STAR World for over 10 years. It was a fabulous journey of discovery that resulted in Travel Asia & Beyond becoming one of the best known and most watched travel shows in the region.
In 2005, Raine was appointed as one of 20 “Andaman Ambassadors” by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to help in an international campaign to bring tourists back to the tsunami affected regions of the country. In the same year, her company Capital Television was awarded best Small to Medium Enterprise in the Austcham Thailand Business Awards.
Today she hosts several popular Expat programs on Cable TV and within leading hotels throughout Thailand. These are Pattaya Plus, Phuket Plus, Chiang Mai Plus and Destination Thailand.
Capital Television is also a sponsor of the Reasons to Dance Dance-athon.