This past Saturday, Whitney Young’s dance department hosted their annual fundraiser:  Dance-A-Day! This day is dedicated to giving affordable dance classes of multiple styles to the local community, WY dancers, and their friends and families. This wonderful day is hosted and put together by our very own Jeanette Gordon. All the proceeds go to the department, enabling them to purchase lights, costumes, special flooring, etc. This event brings talented choreographers, teachers, and some WY Alumni, to the studio for amazing classes.

       The day started bright and early, at 9am with Balletone. With each class being an hour, the schedule continued with Zumba, Din Da Daa, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Pom Squad Fitness, and Bollywood. The Arts Building lit up with excitement as the more popular classes like Din Daa Daa and contemporary began.

Din Daa Daa is the traditional African dance piece performed at the Spring Dance Concert every year. Dancers usually have to audition in order to perform this piece so they use Dance-A-Day as a way to get in extra preparation. Some of the original cast of Din Daa Daa (from the class of ‘87) joined in the festivities and took the class as well. Participant Morgan Forney ‘17 claims, “It was an honor to teach this class and have the original cast there as well!”

Other classes like Pom Squad Fitness were less centered around choreography and more focused on actually working out. This class consisted of continuous dance phrases while holding poms. The upbeat music added to the fun of the workout and overall allowed all of the dancers to enjoy themselves as well as get a proper workout. Gabi Saul ‘17 says, “I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for Pom Squad Fitness, but I ended up really liking it and wanting to go back!”

For those who took a majority of the classes back to back, the day was exhausting. Though dancing for seven hours proved to be completely draining, some dancers claimed that it was worth the exhaustion. Davia Murray ‘17 adds, “I was so tired. I had practice that morning and then dedicated the rest my day to Dance-A-Day. I might have collapsed by the end of the last class but I truly did enjoy all the new dances I learned.”

Dance-A-Day proved to be successful with a total of over $1,000 in donations raised. The dance department was exhausted but overjoyed with the turnout of the event.