SLOCA Dance-a-thon: Recap

Lights! Music! Dancing! The energy was palpable. Squeals of delight and laughter filled the dance hall. Smiles galore were seen in the prop-filled photobooth. Parents, teachers and students all jamming together to selections from the 1920’s through the 1990s—this was SLOCA’s First-Ever All School Dance-a-thon. This past March, SLOCA welcomed over 200 participants for non-stop dancing fun, all while raising funds for our school! 

Different age groups represented different eras: Little Wonders grooved to the 1920s/30s, Primary/Intermediate the 1940s/50s, LMS the 1960s/70s, and finally UMS/HS with the 1980s/90s. Some families stayed for all 4 hours! We call these our “can’t stop, won’t stop dancing” families.

“I felt that the Dance-a-thon was a great success!  What could be better!?  It was such a thrill as a teacher to spend time with SLOCA students DANCING!  I saw many students transform on the dance floor!  Students that I had no idea loved to dance were so brave and courageous; they really got groovy! Everyone loved how the music changed from decade to decade and how Ms. Stevens taught us many styles of dance like “the hand jive.”  I cannot wait to be a part of it again next year!  Don’t miss it when it comes around again because you will have a blast and maybe just learn some new moves.”

– Rachel Hoxie, Kinder and Intermediate Art Teacher

SLOCA Parent and local DJ, Bob Criswell, helped create a night filled with great music. Dance Leaders from across the decades (many thanks to Brooklynn Perneel, Negin Akhavan, Michele Stevens, and Sara Aguas) led students in learning many new and mysterious (to them) dances – including the hustle, Footloose line dance and the hand jive.

“Our youngest, Payden, thoroughly enjoyed being interviewed at the dance-a-thon. My daughter Kate loved hanging with friends, dancing, the cookies, and Ms. Michele made it so fun learning new dances. Ethan loved the cookies. He ate three. As a parent, it was a really fun event. I loved seeing the costumes. As a teacher, it was fun to dance and participate with my students. Ms. Michele made it extra fun by teaching everyone some new moves.”

– Stacey Cote, SLOCA Parent and LMS Teacher

Simultaneously in the SLOCA office, an old school telethon was live-streamed on Instagram and Facebook throughout the entire event. Interviews with kids and teachers entertained viewers, all while encouraging them to support our students as they danced through the decades.

The main goal for this fundraiser was to bring our entire school community together for an evening of merrymaking and togetherness. We accomplished just that, and as a bonus, the event raised over $9,000 for SLOCA!  We’re incredibly grateful to all our supporters!

What was your favorite part of the Dance-a-thon? What would make it even MORE fun next year? Leave your comments below. We truly value your feedback!