Group raises $54k to perform in US

A group of 19 dancers has raised $54,000 over the past 11 months for their trip to dance at Disneyland next month.

Amjazz Dance Studio administration manager Tracy Notman said the group had done really well to raise all of the money themselves.

She said there had been a lot of hard work by the dancers and parents, as well as a lot of co-ordination of events.

The performance group had been doing barbecues every weekend and had done many other fundraising activities, including marshalling at running and cycling events, a fashion show, dance workshops for school holiday programmes, raffles, Facebook auctions, a movie fundraiser and painting a commercial building.

The group has also done stocktaking at various shops.

"The support from families and community has been amazing," Ms Notman said.

The group has had to juggle the fundraising with school, work and dance classes, with many of them having classes for more than one style of dance, she said.

"They pretty much live at the dance studio during the week."

The group had been fundraising to raise more than $100,000 to cover the cost of the trip.

She said a lot of the group had gotten jobs to help fund the trip, because they knew there would be a shortfall.

Because the group is travelling overseas, they did not meet a lot of the criteria for community grants or sponsorship.

"Most of them have worked really hard to get the majority of their costs covered through fundraising and just need to get spending money."

She said they still had a showcase event on March 18, stocktaking at The Warehouse Rotorua next week and sausage sizzles for the next three weekends to fundraise.