Everybody Dance Now!

Everybody Dance Now!

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other

education , cultural diversity, empowerment of women

2002

http://everybodydancenow.org/

Everybody Dance Now! is a youth-run nonprofit organization that provides free, weekly dance programming to young people throughout the country who would otherwise not have access to such opportunities. We are dedicated not only to inspiring our students through positive outlets that promote healthy and active lives, but also to empowering our young leaders as agents of social change. During a dance performance on stage, Jackie Rotmans music suddenly stopped. In response, members of the audience joined Jackie on stage and began dancing to show their support. Expanding on the idea that dance can help foster a positive atmosphere, Jackie began providing hip-hop classes free of charge to youth that would not otherwise be able to afford them. Now with 10 chapters across the country, Everybody Dance Now! is a nonprofit organization that aims to transform the lives of youth through dance, leadership, and community.

EDN! also partnered with organizations that could subsidize classes, and by 2008, EDN! had established partnerships with numerous local programs including Police Activities League, A-OK! Program, Girls Inc of Greater Santa Barbara, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Santa Barbara, Housing Authority, Peoples Self Help Housing, 1235 Teen Center, Isla Vista Teen Center, Transition House, Lower Westside Community Center, and more. EDN!s faculty grew to include high school students, college students, and profesional dance instructors. Jackie also fundraised for and organized two master class with the legendary pioneer of krump dance, Tommy and the Hip-Hop Clowns, which served 200 students and community members in May 2008. These classes motivated young people to pursue positive alternatives to gangs and violence, and even Mayor Marty Blum came to show her support.

Everybody Dance Now! strives to transform the lives of youth through dance, leadership, and community involvement. Our MISSION is to positively transform the lives of youth through dance, leadership, and community involvement. Our VISION is to ensure that: EVERYBODY has access to creative, healthy and productive outlets such as DANCE; young leaders have the mentorship and support to change their passion for dance into social change NOW!

When our founder, Jackie Rotman, was 12, she performed a hip-hop dance for eighty teens with disabilities. In response to a technical difficulty with her music, she adapted her performance by inviting audience members onstage to have their own opportunity to express themselves through dance. From watching dozens of teens empowered, exhilarated, and full of self-confidence from dancing, she learned that dance is more than a physical activity; it is a powerful creative force that can bring people together and give them joy and self-esteem.