Courtesy of Examiner.com:

National Dance Day on Saturday, July 31, 2010 is to be recognized with an official act of congress according to a July 23, 2010 press release from Fox TV. The grassroots movement was created by So You Think You Can Dance Co-Creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe. National Dance Day is a movement to encourage healthy exercise and physical fitness. The inaugural event for National Dance Day will include flash mobs on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and at the Performance Arts Center in Lost Angeles and other events nationwide.

National Dance Day, a grassroots movement taking place on Saturday, July 31,  encourages the people of this nation to get up and move, is being recognized with an official act of Congress. Created by Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer and co-creator of the hit FOX series So You Think You Can Dance and founder of the Dizzy Feet Foundation, the aim of National Dance Day is to promote health and self-esteem through the art form of dance.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a long-time proponent of healthy lifestyles, will introduce a National Dance Day resolution at a press conference on Saturday, July 31, 2010 in Washington, D.C., to promote dance education and physical fitness across the U.S.

In January, Congresswoman Norton introduced the Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise (LIFE) Act to promote exercise and diet changes. Norton’s LIFE bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be a lead agency in combating obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

“More than 30 percent of Americans are obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years,” said Congresswoman Norton. “Television shows such as So You Think Your Can Dance are not only entertaining but are also encouraging people to live a physically active lifestyle. Holding a National Dance Day in the nation’s capital is a terrific way to promote fitness and fight obesity.”

“National Dance Day does not ‘belong’ to any single corporation, television show or charity,” said Lythgoe. “It belongs to the people. It will be up to the individuals, corporations and charities of this country to come up with ways to take part – wherever they may be and whatever their motivation: whether it’s to lose weight, raise money for a nonprofit or just have fun. It is my hope that countless exciting dance ideas will come to fruition on National Dance Day, like the world’s longest conga line in Miami or the world’s longest kick line in front of Radio City Music Hall or scores of breakdancers taking over the Venice boardwalk. The sky is the limit.”

National Dance Day Flash Mob – National Mall in Washington D.C.

Congresswoman Norton will host her own National Dance Day flash mob on the National Mall (between 3rd St & 4th St SW) from 1:00-5:00 PM on Saturday featuring local dance enthusiasts, representatives from dance schools and organizations and former So You Think You Can Dance finalists.

Dizzy Feet Flash Mob at the Music Center at the Performance Arts Center of LA

Dizzy Feet will host a flash mob at the Music Center at the Performance Arts Center of Los Angeles County (135 N. Grand Avenue) from 10:00 AM-Noon. All are encouraged to attend and participate. Celebrity attendance includes members of the Dizzy Feet board, choreographers and So You Think You Can Dance finalists.