Today is National Dance Day, and some of our favorite So You Think You Can Dance personalities, from judges to choreographers to dancers, are celebrating in the best way they know how – and you can too!
National Dance Day is the brainchild of the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which is headed up by some familiar faces: Nigel Lythgoe: SYTYCD judge and producer, Adam Shankman: director and frequent SYTYCD guest judge, Carrie Ann Inaba: choreographer and Dancing with the Stars judge, and Katie Holmes, dance enthusiast and the artist formerly known as Joey Potter.
The Dizzy Feet Foundation serves to support dance and dance education throughout the country, and National Dance Day is their biggest celebration. In an effort to get everyone in on the fun, the DFF choreographs a few dance routines and releases instructional videos, so that dancers and non-dancers around the country can join together in a true celebration of dance.
There are two routines: an “Everybody Dance” routine for those of us that are not exactly skilled dancers, and a “Hip Hop Master Class,” for those that can handle a little bit of a challenge.
This year’s “Everybody Dance” routine is presented by Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman, and is set to Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.” It was originally set to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, but they changed the song after some negative feedback about “Blurred Lines” being too racy for the family-friendly event. This explains why the moves don’t always seem to match up to the beat. Learn the routine for yourself and watch Nigel and Adam sweat their way through it in the video below:
The “Hip Hop Master Class” is presented by SYTYCD fan-favorite choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo (NappyTabs), with the help of their super adorable son London and SYTYCD season 4 alum Comfort Fedoke. Set to Jennifer Lopez’s “Live It Up,” this routine is a little more advanced, and a lot of fun. Check it out below, and try not to be charmed by little London:
There is a giant event in L.A.’s Grand Park, where Nigel, Adam, NappyTabs, and other SYTYCD personalities will appear to teach the routines in person, followed by the whole crowd doing the routines together. But even if you’re not in Los Angeles, you can still take part by learning the dance and sending in a video of your performance to the Dizzy Feet Foundation, where it might be featured on next week’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance.
In addition to the daytime activities, Saturday night the Dizzy Feet Foundation will host the 3rd Annual Celebration of Dance Gala, which is their annual fundraising event that also honors stars in the world of dance, such as this year’s honoree, actress and dancer Chita Rivera. In addition to performances by SYTYCD contestants past and present, there will be appearances by some of our favorite celebs: Glee‘s Darren Criss and Jenna Aushkowitz, Christina Applegate, and Anna Kendrick, among others.