MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay -- The once dark and quiet ballroom filled with laughter and streaks of brilliant color as daughters of all ages danced the night away with their fathers at the 5th Annual Father-Daughter Dance aboard MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, March 13.
Fathers looked on proudly in their dress uniforms and dinner jackets as their beloved daughters spun and twirled, waiting for the next song to sweep them off their feet. The dance warmed the hearts of hundreds in attendance at the Lanai Ballroom in the Officers' Club.
The evening began with the arrival of guests, who captured the memorable event with keepsake pictures, and was followed by exquisite dinner and dessert selections.
Fathers and their daughters, of course, saved time for plenty of fun and laughter as they scooted to the ballroom floor for everything from slow dancing to jiving to the funky chicken.
Roughly 300 people showed up this year, almost double last year's attendance, said Nicolette Ferguson, outreach director for the Armed Services YMCA.
"I think with the war, and with service members being deployed, time with family is so important," explained Ferguson. "Fathers want to take advantage of every opportunity to spend good quality time with loved ones. They don't know when they may get deployed [again]."
This year was the first opportunity to attend the dance for many of the dads and daughters.
"This is my first time going to the dance, and I really enjoyed it," said 1st Sgt. George Espinosa, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, first sergeant. "I was on deployment for last year's, so I was really pleased that I could make it this time."
Daughters also enjoyed the opportunity to dress up and spend the evening with their dads.
"I think this is really fun," said 5-year old Karis Lee, daughter of Lt. Cmdr. James Lee, who is stationed at Pearl Harbor Naval Station. "I came because I love my dad."
Ferguson hopes that in the years to come, fathers will continue to take their daughters to the Father-Daughter Dance in celebration of their special bond.
"We are looking at having the dance in another location next year," said Ferguson, "because there were so many people. We'll have it in a more central location, so that more can attend and more branches of service can be notified about [the event]."