Celebrate National Dance Day because physical activity is a feminist issue

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It’s Friday, and although National Dance Day is tomorrow, I can’t help but celebrate early. This day is brought to us by the efforts of Eleanor Holmes Norton. She is truly my she-ro and I am feeling her ideas to promote physical activity with a little hip swaying and two-stepping:

Norton will host a National Dance Day Flash Mob at Washington’s Malcolm X-Meridian Park. Guests include TV judge/producer of “So You Think You Can Dance,” Nigel Lythgoe, who is also behind the Dizzy Feet Foundation, a grassroots organization that supports dance education.

“National Dance Day belongs to the people, and it is up to individuals to come up with ways to participate,” Norton adds. “It is my hope that countless ideas will emerge, like the world’s longest conga line, or the world’s longest kicking line in front of Radio City Music Hall, or scores of break dancers dancing up and down the Mall in Washington. The sky is the limit.”

Initiatives like Norton’s are so important because physical activity is a feminist issue. The release of the childhood obesity report in May demonstrates the decreased rate of physical activity in high school age girls (See page 66). Further, boys trail girls by 18 percentage points when considering students who get at least one hour of exercise, five days a week. Addressing this issue involves closing loop holes concerning Title IX compliance in high schools, but it also involves promoting new and fun ideas for folks to be physically active. So, if you are in the DC area on Saturday, swing by Malcolm X park or hit up the club on Saturday with your posse. Either way, celebrate National Dance Day!

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