For the second time in three years, Roslyn High School student Dani Covey is going to be dancing for a cause.
Covey, 14, as a part of her bat mitzvah project, researched dance marathons online and then helped organize one that raised money for childhood cancer research. This Sunday, Covey said, she’s looking forward to doing it all again.
“I love dancing, and I want to continue to use my love for dance to help people,” Covey said.
This Sunday, Covey and others will be dancing for three hours at the Hannah Kroner School of Dance in Albertson for Dani’s 2nd iDance4aCURE Dance Marathon.
iDance4aCURE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness, and funding, for childhood cancer research through dance-related events. The organization has raised and contributed over $400,000 to cancer research, according to the iDance4aCURE website.
The registration fee is $20, and the event will feature a professional DJ from More Than Music entertainment company, but participants are encouraged to raise as much as they can before and on Sunday.
The first dance marathon Covey helped organize, at Dany Holdstein Two Worlds Dance and Fitness in Greenvale in 2017, raised nearly $1,800 for cancer research, she said.
“When I first learned about this organization that helps fight childhood cancer, I knew I had to be involved,” Covey said.
The current total raised is just over $1,000 on the event’s registration page.
Raising the money and the dancing itself have been Covey’s favorite part, she said, as well as meeting dancers that have survived cancer.
The marathon will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the school. Though professional dancers will be on hand for the event, school owner and director Carol Riley said that “no one is excluded.”
“Everyone can come and dance, even if you can’t dance very well,” Riley said. “It’s about just having fun.”
Riley and Covey also said that any students interested in attending the event can have community service validated through the school for the event.
“I’m proud to be able to get my friends and community involved in helping others through something that we all can enjoy together – dance,” Covey said.
