National Dance Day – September 17, 2022, history, significance
September 17 is National Dance Day! We brought the music, you bring the moves! Or, feel free to bring your own tunes. We’re not too particular on the music choice or who brings the beats. We really just can’t wait to see you on the floor! If you have a favorite dance move or go-to routine, this is the time for all to break it down on the dance floor.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL DANCE DAY
This groovy day was created to help encourage Americans to enjoy the art of movement, as a creative outlet to promote a healthy lifestyle. Hitting the dance floor is not only an artistic outlet, but helps to improve muscle tone, bone density, balance, flexibility, and strength. It was officially launched in 2010, by national dance fans — both politicos and dance
extraordinaires. Up until 2019, the day was observed in July; however, 2020 will be the second time that it will be officially observed on the third Saturday in September.
Nigel Lythgoe, co-creator of “So You Think You Can Dance” and the co-founder of American Dance Movement, partnered with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to start this holiday 10 years ago. Congresswoman Norton introduced National Dance Day as a resolution, with the goal of promoting artistic expression and exercise.
Dance is also a great way to improve both emotional and mental health as well. Staying active on a consistent basis is a great way to release tension, stress, build muscle, and be in an all-around better mood. Every aspect of our health is interconnected. Health is wealth, and we all need that currency.
This fun-filled day of movement was moved from July to September because of an essential collaboration with the American Heart Association. The Association approached the National Dance Day team because they sought new dance material and video content for their kids’ health initiative, the Kids’ Heart Challenge. Given in part because of the school-affiliated nature of the partnership, the date for National Dance Day moved from the summer months to early fall during the academic year in 2019.
NATIONAL DANCE DAY TIMELINE
Mid 1800s
One, two, three
One of the most popular forms of dance, the waltz, was introduced.
1920s
Dance craze
This was a big decade for the introduction of well-known dances, including the Charleston (1922) and the Black Bottom (1926-1927).
2010
In the name of dance
National Dance Day was started by Nigel Lythgoe and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton as a means to promote a healthy lifestyle.
2019
School dance
National Dance Day moves from July to September so as to be more aligned with the academic year and student-based partnerships. As of 2019, National Dance Day takes place on the third Saturday of September.
NATIONAL DANCE DAY ACTIVITIES
Take a class
Some cities hold day-long dance series for National Dance Day! Check out listings in your local community to see if there are local venues holding dance classes throughout all or part of the day. If so, we strongly encourage you to go out and get your groove on! Be it a tap, hip-hop, ballet, step class or more…this is the day of all days to take a class and get moving..
Check out a dance performance
Perhaps you’d prefer to be an audience member. Taking in a dance performance on National Dance Day is a perfect way to celebrate the day!
Donate to a local dance organization
Investing in a local or national dance organization is a great way to honor the day. Making a donation to a dance troupe or company of your choices is yet another way to encourage participation in dance expression and movement on National Dance Day.
5 FACTS ABOUT DANCE THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
Over 1500 celebrations
To date, over 1500 cities and communities celebrate National Dance Day in some form.
National Dance Day vs. International Dance Day
International Dance Day is celebrated annually every April 29 to promote culture and the arts, as well as to raise international awareness of dance as an artform.
More than movement
The 2019 shift to acknowledging National Dance Day in September is also about aligning with the American Dance Movement’s mission to highlight cardiovascular health, boost overall self-confidence, improve self-confidence, and encourage all to have fun.
International schedules
In Canada, National Dance Day is celebrated during UNESCO’s International Dance Day, which is in late April every year.
Different ways to celebrate
National Dance Day can be celebrated in many forms in September, and there are many ways to get involved, either in person, virtually or philanthropically!
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL DANCE DAY
You invest in your health
It’s always good to employ strategies to live a healthier life. Exercise improves every aspect of your health, and dance is a great way to work towards making that happen.
There is no shortage of ways to participate in National Dance Day
Don’t like hitting the dance floor yourself? No problem — you can watch a class, go to a dance party and watch as a wallflower, catch a show, watch a dance movie and more.
There’s space for everyone
Whether you are 2 or 102, there is absolutely a way for you to get involved in National Dance Day. Everyone can be healthy, everyone can move, and we can all be a part of this fun-filled holiday.
How to Celebrate National Dance Day
Get up and dance! Celebrate National Dance Day by moving to the beat and enjoying the fun of dance in any and every form. Try out some of these ideas for paying honor to the day:
Start Dancing
Choose your style and just start dancing! It might just be a little impromptu boogie dance in the living room or it could be getting dressed up to go out ballroom dancing. Or hop over to a local dance club and go freestyle! Cha-cha, salsa, ballet, or even breakdancing offers a fun way to relax, get some exercise and keep that body (and soul!) moving the way it needs to.
Watch a Film About Dancing
Perhaps getting moving on National Dance Day requires a bit of inspiration and watching a movie about dancing is a great way to do it! Even if the film doesn’t have much of a plot, it’s a great way to get started with dancing. Try out one of these dancing films to get started:
- Dirty Dancing (1987). This classic eighties film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey tells the story of a rebellious dance instructor and an innocent vacationing teenager who learns to dance.
- Billy Elliot (2000). A British coming-of-age movie, set in the mid-1980s miners’ strike of North East England, this film features the character of Billy Elliot, a working-class boy who discovers a love for ballet dancing. It was also made into a West End and Broadway musical.
- Black Swan (2010). Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star in this psychological thriller film that reveals the competitive struggle behind the lead dancers in Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, Swan Lake.
- Footloose (1984). What could go wrong when bad-boy Kevin Bacon’s character moves into town and starts dancing – in a place where dancing is forbidden by his love interest’s father, the local pastor? Watch it and see!
Take a Dancing Class
Those who don’t feel great about their dancing skills need not worry. That’s what a dancing instructor is for. Grab a partner and sign up for a dancing class at a local YMCA, dance studio or gym. Try jazz, tap, classical, hip-hop, modern and more!
Not sure which type of dance to try to learn first? Head on over to the library first and do a little reading, and then do a bit of research to find out what options for lessons are available in the local area.
Learn About the Benefits of Dancing
One of the reasons that National Dance Day is so important for everyone to celebrate is that dancing is just good for you! As a form of exercise, dance can improve the physical tone of the body and help people get into shape with better flexibility, balance, coordination and spatial awareness.
- Improved Heart and LungsDancing offers aerobic exercise which allows the heart and lungs to get worked out. In fact, people with cardiovascular disease are encouraged to dance to improve their heart and lung function.
- Better Mental HealthThe physical activity of dancing releases beneficial hormones that reduces tension, decreases stress and anxiety, and may even ward off depression.
- Boost Memory and Prevent DementiaAerobic exercise, including dance, can help to reduce the loss of volume in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory.
- Greater ConfidencePeople who spend time dancing often develop a greater amount of self-confidence and self-esteem. They become more confident in their ability to perform physical tasks, and they are often also likely to make friends throughout the process.
See a Dance Show
The options for catching a dance show in honor of National Dance Day are almost endless! Whether it’s heading to a classical ballet, a musical theater production with dancers, a Hip Hop and Jazz dance festival. It might even be fun to catch a dance recital performed by one of your kids or the neighbors’ kids.
But even though watching people dance is loads of fun, be sure to not simply spend the whole day watching other people dance. Because the day is about inviting everyone, single person, professional or amateur, young or old, to get off the couch and start dancing!
