Franciscan Alliance Hosts Day of Dance to Take Steps Toward Healthy Hearts

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Written by Joe Angelo   

The Franciscan Alliance Day of Dance was more than just a day of celebrating dance; it was a day of celebrating life! From the moment I walked into the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza there was a spirit of life in the air. From cooking classes to massages, from health screenings to dancing, there was a great sense of healthy living.

When walking through the doors, I spotted a group of four ladies, all wearing pink Day of Dance shirts who were more than happy to see every lady get a gift bag. From there I followed the heart pumping music down the hall into the main ballroom. There awaited multiple venders surrounded by many happy women looking at hand bags, jewelry, chocolates and much more. Behind the vendors in the ballroom laid a giant dance floor flooded with women. All the women where moving together in one motion, to the song “The Cupid Shuffle”.

Ladies of all different ages, shapes and sizes where caught in the spirit of dance. From 11 year old Katie Nowickie with her Elipse Performing Arts Dance team to Deb Perzo, who said she “enjoyed watching the elderly people in there chairs dancing”. When I asked two volunteers, Maria Ramos and Bonnie Ciesar, about the participants they said, “A lot of participants have been excited about what were doing in there. They are getting their bodies moving and having a lot of fun. There is a lot of great entertainment and food and they are having a great time.”

Maria shared that, “February is American Heart Month so Franciscan Alliance just wanted to teach women, and all people that came today, that the thing they need to do for their heart is to get their body moving. And so that’s what the dancing is about. That’s what all the screenings are about.”

There were 11 different health screenings at the Day of Dance, including Foot Screening, Early Heart Attack Care, and Bone Density. Walking out of the screening room was Adalia Gonzalez, who shared, “the screening is good because I never did a bone density screening. Now I found out I need to take calcium.” After the screenings the participants where able to take the results back to their doctor and talk about their heart health.

What the Franciscan Alliance did with the Day of Dance was raise awareness about health in the most exciting way anyone could. With the free health screenings, a chef demonstrating and sharing healthy food recipes, delicious healthy food to eat, and a day full of dancing, these women were on their way to living healthy life styles.

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