Dancing for clean water
May 15, 2010
The movie "Singin' in the Rain" is best known for the scene of Gene Kelly splashing rainwater as he dances down the street. The recent DanceAid fundraiser at Chesterton High School also brought dance and water together, but in very different way.The dance performance raised money for Thirsting to Serve, a not-for-profit organization that works with the Navy to deliver HydrAid technology to under-developed countries. HydrAid's biosand filters are lightweight and don't need electricity; a filter can be installed in 30 minutes and will provide 75 gallons of clean, safe drinking water every day.
Stephanie Yeager of Valparaiso organized the inaugural dance benefit, although she isn't new to promotions. She assists the president of a network of music businesses in Valparaiso, which includes a record label, a booking agency and a management company. She also loves to dance in her spare time.
Seven regional dance studios were involved: Arthur Murray Dance Academy of Merrillville, Civic Center Dance of Portage, Dance Sophisticates Studio of LaPorte, Generations Dance Theatre of Hammond, South Shore Dance Alliance of Gary, and Valparaiso's Dance Unlimited and Mirror Image Dance Academy. About 50 dancers participated.
The event's selections included jazz, tap, musical theater, ballroom, modern, ballet and hip-hop. Dancers' ages ranged from adolescent to adult. "The performance by every dancer was spectacular," Yeager said. "The whole thing was bringing me to tears up in the tech booth."
Yeager said the idea of a dance benefit stemmed from her high school days. "When I was going to high school in the Grandville, Mich., area, there were lots of dance events going on all the time," she said. "One day last fall, it struck me that this area is missing out on all the amazing dance talent we have spread through our dance studios, and there should be a concert. It hit me that I could turn my love for dance, my ability with business, and this service project into one force for two purposes: great dance and clean water."
Nancy Niequist Schoon of Gary is a board member and the marketing director for South Shore Dance Alliance. About 20 of its dancers, from 4 to 19 years old, performed pieces with contemporary choreography, including tributes to Alvin Ailey and Michael Jackson. "Dance is an amazingly positive and soulful artistic expression," Schoon said. "Community support for the arts, and dance in particular, is so critical to its growth. That support lets dancers and arts organizations reach out for other good causes. We hope we can touch communities by supporting good causes like DanceAid."
Although attendance was lower than expected, Yeager said more than $2,000 worth of products and services were donated for the silent auction, which generated funds for Thirsting to Serve. "I'd really like to make it an annual event," she said. "It was too good to not do it again."