Dance NL are hosting Dare To Dance Flash Mob in the parking lot at 72 Harbour Drive from 3:00pm to 3:30pm on International Day, Saturday April 29th. 

Performer and instructor, Lynn Panting put together a short instructional video demonstrating a choreographed dance to local rock band Waterfront Fire’s “Breath It In.”  Everyone is invited to watch the video, learn the dance and join the mob this Saturday.

“Dance flash mobs are usually done to catchy upbeat songs and they use simple movements that anyone can make their own, it’s not challenging choreography. It’s a team effort and it’s contagious, people catch the wave of inspiration and want to join in,”said Corie Harnett, a dancer and member of Dance NL’s administration.

The Dare To Dance Flash Mob performance will be one of the final events of Dance NL’s Dance Week 2017. Dance NL was founded in 2009 with a mandate to preserve, promote, and support all the diverse types of dance happening in the province.

“We’re an umbrella organization that represents professional dancers, community groups, social dance communities, and dance aficionados. We represent a really broad range of interests,” explained Harnett.

Dance Week NL is one of the organization’s main outreach initiatives, it aims to get people through out Newfoundland and Labrador dancing with accessible events and activities.

This year’s Dance Week NL is a warm and sunny one, after a long haul of drizzly grey skies. The recent shift to spring weather is perfect for Dance Week because lots of this year’s programming is about getting people to share the infectious joy of dancing in public.

“Increasing the profile of dance and accessibility of dance is very important to us…That’s why a lot of these events are out in public because incorporating dance into your daily life even at your desk at work, is a good way to be fit, active, healthy and have fun,” Harnett said.

Dance NL has asked people to dance in public and send in a video of their performance, which the organization will share through their social media streams as ‘Random Acts of Dance’ with the hashtag #DanceWeekNL2017.

Several downtown businesses have agreed to participate in Dance Week’s  #Dance4Discounts day, offering deals to people who do a dance at the counter on International Dance Day. Dance NL will be updating the list of participating businesses on their website through out the week.

“Our goal is to incorporate as many people as possible and get as many people as possible dancing in a way that’s sharing their own dance,” Harnett said.

There will be several performances and workshops through out the week including; a free Tango Practica at Tango on the Edge on Thursday evening, and performances of the Daley Family Collective’s If A Place Could Be Made in schools in St. Mary’s Bay. The week will wrap up with an International Dance Day Dance Party at Compton House on Waterford Bridge Road, after the Dare to Dance Flash Mob performance on Saturday.

For a full schedule of Dance Week NL Events visit: http://dancenl.ca/projects