It’s National Dance Day! A day of giving back through the art of dance. Giving back to our community through our passion for dance is something that Miss Mary and the Dance Connection family love to do. Our Competition Team has partnered with the Suffolk County Make-A-Wish organization for a number of years, performing at their annual Believe Day celebration and at their Holiday Party and Gala as well as organizing the Making Wishes Grow fundraiser. We also make sure to brighten the holidays for families in need through our Giving Tree.

National Dance Day began in 2010 and was established by Nigel Lythgoe, a co-founder of the Dizzy Feet Foundation which works to expand the availability of dance education to low income populations and schools. As described on the Dizzy Feet website, National Dance Day “…is an annual celebration dedicated to dance, that encourages Americans of all ages to incorporate dance into their lives. By creating a focused day of celebration, Dizzy Feet Foundation aims to educate the public about dance and its many benefits, as well as make dance accessible and inclusive to everyone.

Dizzy Feet Foundation (DFF) believes that participation in dance connects the mind and body, promotes health and wellbeing, connects us with others and enables us to find joy through dance and movement. National Dance Day (NDD) is a day of celebrating dance, in all its forms, and takes place annually on the last Saturday in July.

Accessible to everyone at every ability level, National Dance Day provides:

• An instructional video, made available online, for people to view, learn and share with others wherever they are
• Dizzy Feet Co-Hosted events in two key cities, providing free dance classes and performances for all ages and skills levels, with information from a range of community dance organizations
• Nation-wide Event Registration that encourages and supports individuals & communities, as they celebrate NDD
• Strong online presence, allowing everyone to participate, no matter where they are across America

“National Dance Day.” Dizzy Feet Foundation. N.p., 12 July 2017. Web. 14 July 2017.

The Dizzy Feet Foundation is a wonderful organization that allows us to give back to our community through the art of dance and truly “bring dance to the nation”. We are so proud of Miss Emily and Mr. Thomas who were both invited to participate in their Celebration of Dance Gala, which is their annual fundraiser in Los Angeles. Can you spot Miss Emily in the photo below? (She’s just a few feet behind Channing Tatum!)

Hope you enjoy National Dance Day! We can’t wait to celebrate again next year!