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, hundreds 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
Free dance classes for cancer survivors
February 25 - March 18, 2019
7-8pm
SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals
123 Old Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill
Sponsored by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Classes across the community in western NC
March 13 - 16, 2019
ComMotion will teach dance and movement programs across the community in Polk County, NC, including the public schools (pre-K through 12), County Senior Center, St Luke's Hospital infusion center, White Oak Manor, Highwoods Apartments, and more. Join us for classes, demonstrations, and a crowd performance during Super Saturday! Our public classes include:
March 14 at 130pm at Highwoods Senior Apartments, Columbus
March 14 at 3pm at St Luke's Hospital Infusion Center, Columbus
March 15 at 3pm at White Oak Village, Tryon
Free Latin dance classes for cancer survivors
April 4 - May 23, 2019
6:30-7:30pm
White Plains United Methodist Church
313 SE Maynard, Cary
Sponsored by Waverly Hematology Oncology
To register, email Elizabeth Barnard at ebarnard@waverlyhemeonc.com
Around the World Gala
April 7, 2019
6-9pm
Raleigh Masonic Temple
1520 Caswell Street, Raleigh
Join ComMotion at the elegant Raleigh Masonic Temple for an evening of dinner, dancing, a silent auction, vendors, activities, and performances. All proceeds benefit ComMotion's dance programs across the community.
$25 per person
Support our programs
ComMotion is able to provide programs at little or no cost thanks to the generous support of the community.