Dancing With the Stars’ Britt Stewart Shares the Movement in New York City
Dancing With the Stars pro and president of the non-profit organization Share The Movement Britt Stewart took on New York City as a part of the organization’s partnership with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE®.
This partnership emphasizes the power of movement and their commitment to addressing the barriers that prevent Black and Brown communities from pursuing movement. It also strengthens the mission of Share The Movement, which is increasing diversity in the professional dance industry through financial, educational, and inspirational support.
With the collaboration, STM has partnered with local organizations for three dance clinics held in Atlanta, New York City, and Los Angeles. In New York City, the non-profit partnered with Urban Bush Women and provided a free day of dance and fitness for all ages at Ballet Hispanico on the Upper West Side.
Throughout the day, participants got to take several dance and fitness classes from industry professionals, including Kenan Cooks (Netflix’s Dance 100), Deja Riley (Lululemon), Tendayi Kuumba (Urban Bush Women), Rodney Hamilton (Ballet Hispanico). Guests were also treated to a TikTok combo class led by Stewart and fellow DWTS pro Brandon Armstrong.
After classes, everyone gathered for discussions about the importance of diversity in dance and how something as simple as a band-aid can make an impact.
Armstrong recounted his childhood being adopted by Caucasian parents and relocating to Utah. It wasn’t until he found dance that he could avoid trouble. But even that didn’t come without struggles like the hefty cost of being an elite dancer. Armstrong mentioned that if it weren’t for organizations similar to STM that helped with the price and his extreme dedication, he wouldn’t have made it to where he is today.
When discussing the partnership with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE®, Stewart spoke about acquiring bumps and bruises as a dancer and how one may not always want to “broadcast” to the world that they have a cut with a light-toned band-aid.
Stewart joked that she might’ve manifested the partnership. She didn’t realize the new line created by the BAND-AID® Brand until she was on the DWTS tour and needed to pull a quick band-aid from the changing tent. To her surprise, the band-aid matched her skin tone.
Stewart added that they didn’t want “a quick fix” regarding increasing diversity in the dance industry. They want to “focus on the foundation of a dancer” while maintaining support as young dancers train to become professionals.
Share The Movement and BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® has one more clinic on September 10 in Los Angeles. Get in on all the fun and RSVP here.
Writer | Tweet me @brittanyskylerr
