LEADING CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN
LOS ANGELES, ORLANDO AND WASHINGTON, D.C., PARTNER TO HOST EVENTS
IN HISTORIC ANNUAL CELEBRATION
LOS ANGELES – June 28, 2016 – The Dizzy Feet Foundation (DFF) is proud to announce that the 7th annual National Dance Day will take place on Saturday, July 30 in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Orlando. The event will continue the tradition of last year’s ground-breaking alliance of some of the nation’s leading cultural organizations who are joining together to promote the benefits and joy of dance for everyone. This year, DFF is proud to also partner with Heelys to help encourage Americans of all ages to incorporate dance into their lives. “Heelys is thrilled to partner with Dizzy Feet this year for their Annual National Dance Day.” says Liz Mandracchia, VP of Marketing, Heelys. “The Dizzy Feet mission to promote freedom of expression through dance is a natural alignment to the core values of the Heelys brand. Heelys encourages kids and Americans of all ages to explore their freedom and lead active and healthy lifestyles through the benefit of movement.”
In Los Angeles, The Music Center is partnering with The Dizzy Feet Foundation to present the west coast’s flagship free celebration of National Dance Day for the fifth year in a row, featuring a dance extravaganza with both performances and participatory elements. The event will take place in Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Dancers of all skill levels and ages are invited to join So You Think You Can Dance creator Nigel Lythgoe along with cast members from the show who will lead the crowd in the official National Dance Day routines. The day continues with the opportunity for audiences to experience and engage with some of Los Angeles’ best dance companies, as well as enjoy dancing in the Grand Park fountain with “Baby Loves Disco.” For more information, visit musiccenter.org/ndd
In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts partners with The Dizzy Feet Foundation for the fourth year in a row, headlining a full day of free festivities right in the heart of the nation’s capital. This year, events will take place on the Kennedy Center’s outdoor North plaza along the Potomac River and Grand Foyer with performances and dance lessons all afternoon and a free social dance party going into the night with Dancing Under the Stars. Confirmed talent includes tap dancer, and singer song-writer Evan Ruggiero and local artists Bowen McCauley Dance, DC Bhangra Crew, the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dancing, Capoeira DC, and the Work It! Fitness DIVAS. More information can be found online at kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/XQNDD.
In Orlando, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to begin a new partnership with The Dizzy Feet Foundation to bring dance and healthy living opportunities to the public in honor of National Dance Day. The free community dance festivities will take place outside the city’s new state-of-the-art venue in downtown Orlando from 8:30-11AM. Non dancers and dancers alike are invited to join Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer from So You Think You Can Dance for participation in the official National Dance Day routine. Additional performances will feature an educational behind-the-scenes experience from Orlando Ballet, as well as, students from the Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts summer programs. Orlando participants will also have the opportunity to take part in a free dance class from the School of the Arts. Additional details will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
As its official contribution to National Dance Day, each year The Dizzy Feet Foundation produces and distributes instructional videos featuring dance routines for the public to learn. The Dizzy Feet Foundation encourages anyone and everyone to learn the routines and perform them on National Dance Day. The Dizzy Feet Foundation also encourages the public to submit videos of themselves performing the routines. Those creating their own National Dance Day event can submit their event on a national list for others to search. More information on how to become an official National Dance Day event and submitting National Dance Day videos can be found on The Dizzy Feet Foundation’s website (http://dizzyfeetfoundation.org/national-dance-day/).
About National Dance Day
Celebrated each year on the last Saturday in July, National Dance Day raises awareness about and encourages Americans to embrace dance as a fun, positive way to maintain good health and combat obesity. National Dance Day achieved national recognition when, in 2010, long-time proponent of healthy lifestyles, American congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, introduced a National Dance Day resolution to promote dance education and physical fitness.
About The Dizzy Feet Foundation
The Dizzy Feet Foundation was founded in 2009 by producer Nigel Lythgoe and director Adam Shankman, among others, to support, improve and increase access to dance education in the United States. Guided by a board representing all aspects of the American dance community, the foundation provides scholarships to talented students to support the next generation of professional dancers. The Dizzy Feet Foundation also strives to support, improve and increase access to dance education through the community dance programs they fund that expose children in low-income areas to the life-long benefits of dance. The Dizzy Feet Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 charitable organization. For more information, go to www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org.
About Heelys
Founded in 1999, Heelys quickly became a breakout success in the world of action sports among children and teens with its innovative wheeled footwear. Heelys core product, HEELYS-wheeled footwear, is patented dual-purpose footwear that incorporates a stealth, removable wheel in the heel. For more information visit www.heelys.com.
About The Music Center
The Music Center is Los Angeles’ home to the world’s greatest artistic programs and events. With four iconic theaters and four renowned resident companies – LA Phil, LA Opera, Center Theatre Group and the Los Angeles Master Chorale – and recognized for its illustrious dance programming, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, The Music Center is a destination where audiences find inspiration in the very best of live performance, as well as nationally recognized arts education and participatory arts experiences. The Music Center also programs and manages Grand Park, a 12-acre adjacent greenspace, with year-round free programming. For more information, visit musiccenter.org and follow The Music Center on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@MusicCenterLA).
About the Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington, D.C., is America’s living memorial to President Kennedy. Under the guidance of Chairman David M. Rubenstein, and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation’s busiest performing arts facility attract audiences totaling 2 million; Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more. To further serve as the Nation’s performing arts center, the Center announced in 2013 a significant expansion project to be constructed south of the existing facility. The Kennedy Center Expansion is intended to be a place where visitors can more actively engage with artists, while also creating new and much-needed rehearsal, education, and flexible indoor and outdoor event. The Center produces and presents performances of music, dance, and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center’s achievements as a commissioner, producer, and nurturer of developing artists have resulted in more than 300 theatrical productions, and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works. As part of the Kennedy Center’s Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, the Center and its affiliates stage more than 400 free performances of music, dance, and theater by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center’s main stages, and every evening at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. Follow the Kennedy Center on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@kencen).
About the Dr. Phillips Center
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is pure inspiration, from the tip of its iconic canopy roof to the foot of every stage. True to our vision, Arts For Every Life, the Dr. Phillips Center is a hub for performance, community outreach, and arts education. A place to see amazing performances and take classes, we were named by Travel + Leisure magazine as “World’s Coolest New Tourist Attractions 2015” and Southern Living “50 Best Places in the South Now” the two-block downtown destination includes the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts, the DeVos Family Room, and other event rental spaces. Future expansion includes Steinmetz Hall, a 1,700-seat acoustical theater, along with rehearsal space. The Dr. Phillips Center brings the best international, national and local artists to our stages including Broadway, ballet, rock, orchestra, comedy, jazz, outdoor concerts, festivals, family shows and arts education programs