Community In Motion
At ComMotion – Community In Motion, we believe that everyone should get a chance to experience the many benefits of movement and dance. Dance fosters a sense of well-being, community, mastery, and joy. ComMotion provides free and low-cost classes and workshops for people of all ages and abilities to get an opportunity to experience the physical and emotional benefits of dance and movement. Through our programs, thousands of people from all walks of life have been able to move, smile, and connect with people around them.
Dance and movement for everyone, everywhere
Because our mission is to make dance and movement accessible to everyone, we bring our classes directly to the communities that we serve. Our programs are completely portable and adaptable to nearly any space, and can be taught in both English and Spanish. We have partnered with local organizations to offer our classes on-location, making it easy for our students to participate. In 2018, we have taught more than 1,300 people at over at over 20 locations including schools, churches, adult day care centers, cancer centers, and youth and veterans organizations across the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area as well as in rural and underserved areas in western and eastern North Carolina.
Why dance?
Dance and movement have been proven in numerous studies to have a variety of health and wellness benefits:
- “Let’s Dance: A Holistic Approach to Treating Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder” by the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System found that a dance-class program promoted well-being, self-confidence, and stress reduction for veterans with PTSD.
- “A dance intervention for cancer survivors and their partners (RHYTHM)” by the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that Ballroom dance may be an important tool for cancer survivors to return to a physically active life and improve quality of life.
- In “Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly” by the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, dancing was the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia.
- “Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth” by the National Endowment for the Arts found that children and teenagers who participated in arts education programs have shown more positive academic and social outcomes.
From our participants
Hundreds of people of all ages and abilities have participated in our programs. Here are a few things they've had to say:
“I really like the dancing class. Thanks for all you do for veterans.”
“The volunteers worked tirelessly to make sure I did my best”
“It was energetic and really a lot of fun.”
"It's the best part of the week!"
“Don’t stop the dancing class!”
ComMotion Students win at 2018 VA Creative Arts Festival
ComMotion students participated in the 2018 Durham VA Creative Arts Festival competition. They won the following:
1st Place - Structured Classical Ballroom
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place - Structured Latin Ballroom
3rd Place - Country/Western/Folk/Ethnic
ComMotion in the news!
ComMotion's programs in Polk County in western North Carolina were featured on the cover of the Tryon Daily Bulletin, the world's smallest daily newspaper.
Upcoming Events
Community Dance
September 6, 2019
7pm
Tryon Depot - Tryon, NC
Join us for a fun evening of dancing for the entire family. The $10 suggested donation includes a beginner dance lesson.
ComMotion in Western NC
September 5-7, 2019
ComMotion will be teaching across Western North Carolina! Details coming soon.
Live, Love, Dance Showcase
September 15, 2019
3-6pm
Durham Arts Council - 120 Morris Street, Durham
Spectator tickets: $20
ComMotion, Dance With Raquel, Rhythm Journey and Con Ritmo Dance Studios are teaming up together to bring an amazing dance show for fellow dance community members and the general public. There will also be a silent auction to benefit ComMotion.
Latin Dance Class Series for Wounded Warriors
September 13 - October 4, 2019
6:30-7:30pm
ComMotion is excited to be teaching a series of Latin dance classes for the veterans of the Wounded Warrior Project
Sponsored by Stage Door Dance
Free Latin dance classes for cancer survivors
September 19 - November 7, 2019
6:30-7:30pm
White Plains United Methodist Church
313 SE Maynard, Cary
Sponsored by Waverly Hematology Oncology
Support our programs
ComMotion is able to provide programs at little or no cost thanks to the generous support of the community.