Ethnic dance troupes on display in Addison

Donna Kajtsa's first experience with Hawaiian dancing came 34 years ago at a park district dance studio.

"It was a hobby that turned into something tangible very quickly," she said outside Addison's village hall Saturday during its 12th annual Multi-Cultural Festival.

Dance troupes representing several of the town's ethnicities, including, Polish, Irish and Indian troupes, spent the afternoon performing before an audience in the village hall's rotunda.

Annette Leiber, chairman of the Addison Cultural Arts Commission, said the annual performances are meant to introduce different communities living within the village to one another.

"We have more than 40 different ethnicities living in this town," she said. "This is simply a way to bring the cultures on common ground."

While Kajtsa is not native Hawaiian, she quickly fell in love with the style of dance and began teaching her own classes out of a Roselle studio. She has performed in Addison each of the last 12 years.

"Some people forget that the islands are not only a state, but are a people with their own heritage," she said. "We're here to celebrate that."

Twelve-year-old Maggie O'Brien, a seventh grader at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School, was also honored Saturday for winning the poster design contest that served as the ad for Saturday's event.

"I've been coming to the dances for years," Maggie said. "Just experiencing all the cultures is really fun."