Dancing is a pastime that has been part of human life and culture for thousands of years. Whether dancing during religious and cultural festivals or simply out of personal joy and delight, people have incorporated dance into life at every turn.
National Dance Week aims to bring to public attention the beautiful art form and healthy physical activity that comes from all different styles of dancing!
How to Celebrate National Dance Week
Get those toes tapping and check out a few of these ideas and activities for getting involved with National Dance Week:
Get Up and Dance!
The first and foremost activity on everyone’s list for National Dance Week is to be sure to get some dancing in!
Whether it’s doing a little jig at home alone while waiting for dinner to cook or getting down with the little ones while they watch music videos, the point of this event is to get everyone moving.
Join the NDF Dance Mob
Each year, partner dance schools and organizations across the country learn and perform a particular dance to a song that can be performed as a dance mob.
These are performed as NBA pregame performances by dance troupes but can also be done separately.
Grab some friends and perform the dance mob at a public location. Don’t forget to record a video and share it online to increase the hype around National Dance Week! Check out the NDF website for more information.
Go Out Dancing
Grab a partner and schedule a time to get out on a proper dance floor in honor of National Dance Week. Take a ballroom dancing class, join in on a salsa dance evening or just head over to the local club and start boogie-ing on the dance floor!
History of National Dance Week
National Dance Week (NDW) was started more than 40 years ago by the Coalition for National Dance Week, which later became what is now known as the National Dance Foundation (NDF). This grassroots movement is made up of dance-related organizations whose aim is to increase the recognition of dance as a form of art.
Started in 1981, this event was meant to improve public awareness and promote the many benefits of dance to the body as well as the mind and spirit.
Today, National Dance Week is sponsored by the United Dance Merchants of America, a member organization made up of reputable vendors that cater to the needs of dancers and dance performances.
Each year, more than a thousand different events, activities and performances are scheduled to take place during National Dance Week, hosted by volunteers, local dance troupes and other interested parties.
In the past, National Dance Week has occurred during April, but in 2024 the event was rescheduled to take place in the autumn instead. The event includes not only a week but two full weekends, beginning on a Friday and ending on the Sunday of the following week.
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