Dancers with the Vicksburg Performing Arts Company are used to having an adrenaline rush before a show, but yesterday members of the dance team focused their energy on a different kind of performance.

Eleven members of the team and their artistic director, Chesley Lambiotte, cut off 100 inches of their hair to donate to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths hair donation program with the mission to create free, real-hair wigs for women with cancer.

Lambiotte said the idea to donate their hair grew out of a dance piece the company performed at their spring performance.

“Earlier this year, I happened to catch Today Show news anchor Hoda Kotb talking about an uplifting song she helped create with Sara Bareilles and Cyndi Lauper to give hope to pediatric cancer patients and to help raise funds for cancer research,” Lambiotte said.

After hearing, “Truly Brave,” Lambiotte said she was moved to tears and decided she wanted to choreograph a dance to the song.

“It felt like the perfect way to honor my grandmother and my father-in-law who had recently been diagnosed,” she said.

“When I got to rehearsal later that night, I told the girls what our company piece would be, and I was shocked to find that every single one of them had either a family member or close friend that was somehow touched by this terrible disease,” Lambiotte said

“I knew then that we could honor our loved ones by creating our own uplifting ‘Truly Brave’ project.”

A performance designed to honor those with cancer by the VPAC dancers was elevated to the next level when some of them decided they wanted to donate their hair.

“I was kind of nervous,” said Ryan Grey, an 8-year-old member of the team, who was the first to have her locks cut off at the Rouge Boutique Salon on Washington Street.

“I think I’ll grow it back to here,” she said, indicating she would let her hair grow back to her shoulders.

Not only were the dancers and Lambiotte giving their hair for cancer patients, the owner of the downtown salon, Keri Post, donated her time and talents to give each girl a new “do.”

Vera Ann Fedell, a 16-year-old member of the team, said it had taken her two months to finally decide to commit to cutting her hair since she had worn it long all her life.

“This is something fun I can do to give back,” Vera Ann said.

The minimum length needed for the hair donation program was eight inches from each girl. Two were brave enough to cut 10 inches.