Norton Introduces Resolution to Launch Annual National Dance Day

July 13, 2010

 

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a resolution to recognize July 31, as National Dance Day.  Norton will also host a National Dance Day Flash Mob on July 31, 2010 on the National Mall featuring Nigel Lythgoe, celebrity judge and producer of the popular national television show "So You Think You Can Dance."  Norton, an avid proponent of healthy lifestyles and a lover of popular and other dance forms, is using National Dance Day and her resolution to promote physical fitness across the United States and the First Lady's Let's Move campaign.

"Astonishingly, more than 31 percent of U.S. children under the age of 19, and an estimated 68 percent of American adults are overweight or obese," said Norton.  "National Dance Day and my resolution encourage Americans to live a physically active lifestyle and to have fun doing it.  Organizing an annual National Dance Day in the nation's capital and throughout the country is a terrific way to promote fitness, and to emphasize the First Lady's Let's Move initiative to combat childhood obesity."

The Congresswoman's resolution received special recognition last week on So You Think You Can Dance when Nigel Lythgoe announced her resolution to recognize July 31, as National Dance Day.

In January, 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.