Free classes offered on National Dance day

Naperville Park District is celebrating National Dance Day Saturday, July 25, by offering free introductory dance classes.

The classes will take place in two locations that morning: the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, Room 123, 305 W. Jackson Ave., and at the 95th Street Center, Wood Floor Studio in rooms 208/209, 2244 W. 95th St.

The schedule is as follows:

• 10:30 to 11 a.m. for children ages 3-6;

• 11 to 11:30 a.m. for children ages 6-9;

• 11:30 a.m. to noon for youngsters ages 9 and older.

A variety of dance styles will be explored. Students are asked to wear athletic clothes; dance shoes are optional.

The Naperville Park District Dance Academy offers recital dance classes that run September through May and include a performance in the annual spring recital, and seasonal dance classes that meet for one season at a time and do not include a performance in the spring recital.

In recent years, both recital and seasonal dance programs have expanded to include new programs such as combination classes, for example, Hip-Hop/Jazz Fusion and TumbleDance. Other new offerings include Competition Dance, Storybook Ballet and a summer flexibility workshop.

Adults also can participate in Dance Academy programs, including ballet, tap and parent/child dance classes. The park district offers social dancing as well, including ballroom dance, line dance, Bollywood dance and Irish dance.

This is the second year the park district has joined in the celebration of National Dance Day, an annual event organized by the Dizzy Feet Foundation and Nigel Lythgoe, founder of the Fox TV Show "So You Think You Can Dance."

According to the Dizzy Feet Foundation's website, dizzyfeetfoundation.org, "this grass-roots campaign encourages Americans to embrace dance as a fun and positive way to maintain good health and fight obesity."

To learn more or to register for Naperville Park District dance programs, visit www.napervilleparks.org.