Dancing for the Kids is the Emerging Leaders Board at Akron Children’s Hospital’s signature event. The first event was held in 2012. Dancing for the Kids features ten local “celebrities” who put on their dancing shoes to help raise money for Akron Children’s Hospital’s Showers Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders.
The concept is similar to the Dancing with the Stars television show. The event traditionally partners with a local dance program to match each participant with a dance professional. Together the dancers and their partners come up with the music and a routine. The performance is held at the Akron Civic Theatre each Fall where more than 700 people enjoy an evening hosted by Keith Kennedy from WKDD’s 98.1 morning show. The show features an opening act of a local dance group, intro videos, dance performances and three judges who always give great feedback to the dancers.
2020 Event Details
This year, the event will look a little bit different due to following the CDC guidelines for social distancing. The duo for the performance will be the local celebrity dancing with a family member or friend. A dance professional, from Kent State University, will create the choreography and teach it to the celebrity partners over a virtual meeting platform. The performance of the celebrity partners will be videotaped on a small theater stage.
The event will still be hosted by Keith Kennedy from WKDD’s 98.1 morning show and we will have three judges who provide feedback to the performances. After the dances are taped and edited together like a movie, the in-person event will be held at Midway Drive In Theater and the movie will be played that evening.
To celebrate the hard work of our Celebrity Dancers we will have a firework show, from American Fireworks Company, after the Dancing for the Kids movie! After the firework show a second movie will play for an added bonus.
Screen #1: Happy Feet
Screen #2: Sing
To comply with social distancing protocols, cars will park in every other spot. This will give the option to allow the guest to sit in front or behind their vehicles and still be over 6 feet from other attendees. The drive-in employees will wear masks and gloves and sanitize all areas that attendees would come in contact with. Please bring a mask to the event as attendees are required to wear masks while walking around the venue, in the concession stand, and restroom areas. You may remove your mask while watching the movie in your designated spot.
Lastly, you can bring your own food and beverage into the theater, but the concession stand will also be serving food for purchase. There will be a limited number of people allowed at the concession stand with ordering windows and pick up windows.