From releasing much-desired endorphins and dopamine to building new pathways in our brains to increasing muscle flexibility and cardiovascular health, dancing has myriad benefits spanning social, mental and physical realms. And there’s no better time to put on your dancing shoes than Sept. 19, this year’s National Dance Day.
Always celebrated on the third Saturday of the month, National Dance Day was launched in 2010 by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Nigel Lythgoe, co-creator of So You Think You Can Dance!, as a way to encourage Americans to incorporate dance into their lives. Since then, counties, cities, and states have hosted various dance activities for free or low costs. Here are the options slated for Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, both on Saturday, Sept. 19:
The South Florida Contra Dance Society will meet for a night of folk dancing at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist, 2601 St. Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton ($15). Contra dance is a form of social dancing similar to square dancing, complete with a live caller (Katie Zanders) as well as a live band (Walk Old Shoe), and participants need not bring a partner or any experience in the dance, which is accessible to all. The dancing, which includes both contra and English country dancing, begins at 7:30 p.m. following a half-hour lesson.
National Dance Day 2024
The Kravis Center, meanwhile, is going all out for National Dance Day, with free workshops and classes, led by dance professionals, planned from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. These include a group warmup at 11:30, followed by three options at 12:15 p.m. (hip-hop, theater dance and “all together dance”), three possibilities at 1:15 p.m. (Latin American ballroom, open level ballet, and African dance); and three more classes at 2:15 p.m. (country fusion line dance, jazz funk, and contemporary dance).
The classes and workshops take place at various venues within the Kravis Center campus, concluding at 3:15 p.m. at the Gimelstob Ballroom, where all dancers can learn the choreography for National Dance Day’s official 2026 routine, led by a celebrity guest dancer. The littlest of hoofers can enjoy a Kids Zone from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., also at the Gimelstob Ballroom. Sam Kerrgan, anchor at CBS12, will emcee the day’s festivities.
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