Bust a Move for Fitness

National Dance Day celebration on the National Mall

By TENEILLE GIBSON

Updated 11:01 AM EDT, Sat, Jul 31, 2010

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So you think you can dance on the National Mall? Today is your chance. It’s National Dance Day, a grassroots movement to encourage healthy exercise and physical fitness.

"So You Think You Can Dance" co-creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe launched this inaugural holiday. And Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will recognize the day as an act of Congress. She says the resolution was intended to promote physical fitness as well as First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” physical-fitness campaign.

“More than 30 percent of Americans are obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years,” said Congresswoman Norton. “Television shows such as 'So You Think You Can Dance' are not only entertaining but are also encouraging people to live in a physically active lifestyle. Holding a National Dance Day in the nation’s capital is a terrific way to promote fitness and fight obesity.”

Lythgoe and Norton will both team up to host their own flash mob this afternoon from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the National Mall between 3rd Street and 4th Street SW. The celebration will feature local dance enthusiasts, representatives from dance schools and organizations and former "So You Think You Can Dance" finalists.