• What if our collective voices could flip the switch for a dance teacher who hadn’t truly thought about how the sexy dance moves she was teaching her young students would impact them?
• What if our stories reached a parent who hadn’t dared to speak out for his or her own child, but now does?
• What if our message changed the dance experience from hypersexualized to healthy for one precious young child?

My DA:NCE Why has the power to do all that and then some, but it will only work if you add your voice. Dig deeper into why this project is so needed and how you can participate by reading Mary’s recent blog highlighting the importance of this project. And then add your voice to ours and let’s empower adults to end the hypersexualization of children in dance once and for all! Learn more about My DA:NCE Why

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Confronting the Comparison Game and Porn Culture in Children’s Dance Kristen A. Jenson, Guest BloggerThe enchanting world of dance: It’s where kids get to express themselves, communicate feelings, and celebrate their journey of growth. Watching little dancers move is like witnessing pure magic. Read The Article

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2023: ‘A Very Good Year’ for DA:NCE Mary BawdenAt DA:NCE, 2023 was a very good year. That line was made famous in a song sung by Frank Sinatra. It resonates with me.2023 was a very good year for DA:NCE because you supported our efforts to educate the culture to know about the differences between healthy and harmful children’s dance. Read The Article

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A Counselor’s Perspective on Confronting Hypersexualization: Raising Awareness and Fostering Change:  Matt Nalder, Guest BloggerIn our hyperconnected world, where information is just a click away, people have become increasingly desensitized to an issue that permeates modern society. With the advent of the internet and the proliferation of smartphones, we are constantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information from various sources. Read The Article

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‘She Loves to Move’ and move and move It’s time for healthy dance to get the spotlight with ‘She Loves to Move.’ It’s been a very special yearlong celebration…and we’ve found out what we already knew: a child really does love to move and move and move. The profound lyrics of the song demonstrate this… Read The Article

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Healthy Dance Studio One of the goals of the DA:NCE is to highlight organizations we feel embody healthy dance. DA:NCE would like to present Dancing with a Difference from Branton, Florida as our Healthy Dance Studio for January 2024. Read The Article

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Keep On Dancing Hadara Valenzuela, Guest Blogger My dance journey started at the early age of three at a parks and recreation mommy & me ballet class. It was affordable and I loved it! I continued to take tap and ballet classes there until I was 5 years old. At eleven years old I was inspired to dance again when I competed in a National American Miss pageant. Read The Article

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DA:NCE Happenings: Share Your Dance Story My DA:NCE Why DA:NCE Coalition National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention February 20-23, Nashville, TN SHAPE America National Convention & Expo March 12-16, Cleveland, OH

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Donate Click the button below to Donate to S2S Choreography to help end child exploitation through dance. DA:NCE is a program of Soul to Sole Choreography, a Section 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 20-0370145. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. DONATE NOW VIA PAYPAL

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Educate and inform your local dance studio to stop adult, sexual choreography, lyrics and costumes for children. At an early age, young children are often being taught how to approach relationships and how to approach intimacy in the wrong way. The art of dance should not be used to divert young girls(and boys) from healthy sexual development. We need to carefully evaluate the cultural choices that entice young children to be viewed as adults. We need to produce healthy boundaries in dance so that girls and boys are protected relationally. Then, when they experience the beauty of dance, they can move as young children, not as adults. You can make a difference by starting a petition in your own community. Your signature, and those of other concerned adults, can raise awareness and give a voice to end the sexualization of young girls through choreography and costumes in your own community! Our Step by Step Guide to Educate Dance Studios provides helpful tips you can use when collecting signatures, and also outlines best practices for presenting the signatures collected to your local dance studio owner or teacher. And if you are ready to dive right in, download the local dance petition signature collection sheets and start collecting signatures. Your efforts will no doubt make a big difference in protecting young dancers in your community! DOWNLOAD: Step by Step Guide to Educate Dance Studios LOCAL DANCE PETITION SIGNATURE COLLECTION SHEETS

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DA:NCE works towards bringing international awareness and education to stop the exploitation through hypersexualization of children in dance.  Join our team as a volunteer to help us fulfill our mission through collaboration, advocating for change and educating the community.  Volunteer opportunities are currently available in our Collaboration Department and our Education Department. VOLUNTEER WITH DA:NCE

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