This holiday season, Dance Connection produced Step Into Christmas, its first ever holiday spectacular at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale. The proceeds from the sold out show raised money for Gavin’s Got Heart, a local non-profit whose mission is to provide financial and emotional support for families with children affected by congenital heart defects.

Through the show’s ticket sales and raffle sales, Dance Connection was able to donate $5,000 to Gavin’s Got Heart. The check was presented to Nicole Mogil, president of Gavin’s Got Heart and Dance Connection alumna and former faculty, at the studio this weekend. Nicole explained to the dancers how far the money raised will go – allowing a family with a child with a congenital heart defect to afford an in-home nurse, allowing them to come home from the hospital rather than go to a rehabilitation center.

Supporting our community through the arts is a cornerstone of Dance Connection’s philosophy. We are so proud of our dancers and studio community for their hard work putting this show together and are so happy to have the money go to such a worthy cause.

– Joe Naftal, Marketing Director and Producing Director for “Step into Christmas”

Dance Connection’s next fundraising performance is Making Wishes Grow, on Sunday, January 20th at 3PM at Holy Trinity High School. This production is a collaboration between several Long Island dance studios as well as performing artists from across Long Island and New York City. Money raised from the show will grant the wish of Matthew, a 7 year old from Huntington Station battling LCH, a rare form of cancer.