RED BANK – It’s time for the Fourth Annual Dance for Kindness in downtown Red Bank, and organizers are hoping it will be bigger and better than ever.
Red Bank will be among the 90 cities in 42 countries expected to take part in the global flash mob on Nov. 8. The event is held each year to celebrate the launch of World Kindness Week, promoting kindness, compassion and empathy through the universal language of dance. Last year, more than 10,000 participants around the world took part in the event.
Broad and White streets will be shut down at noon on Sunday, Nov. 8 and the dance will begin at 1 p.m. Last year, more than 200 people participated, as well as several firemen from Navesink Hook and Ladder, who brought out an extension ladder and filmed the event from above.
“It’s been amazing watching this organization grow and seeing people from all different backgrounds, cultures, races and religions unite in this dance,” said Orly Wahba, founder of Life Vest Inside, the organization that runs Dance for Kindness. “I truly believe that kindness can change the world in extraordinary ways.”
From Vietnam to Ukraine,
from New Zealand to Venezuela, dancers will participate
in a kindness freeze mob/flash
mob to “More Light,” an original song written for this
event by Yaakov Feldstein of
Queens, New York. They can
learn the dance steps in
advance when they register for
the event.
“People who participate absolutely love the experience,” said Terese Rolke of Eatontown, the group leader organizing the Red Bank event. “It brings local families and individuals together as one caring, loving, compassionate community, spreading the message of kindness. Understanding that we are part of communities from around the world doing exactly the same thing is tremendous.”
This year, Dance for Kindness has a celebrity ambassador. Actor Peter Scolari, best known for HBO’s “Girls” and the 1980s sitcoms “Bosom Buddies” and “Newhart,” attended the recent kickoff party in New York City
to promote the World Kindness Week. Photo Courtesy Dance for Kindness
“Peter understands the need for an organization such as this, and he wanted to get involved,” Wahba said.
Wahba, a former middle school teacher from Brooklyn, left her job to start the nonprofit organization.
“There is so much negativity in the world,” she said. “I really wanted to show how much positivity is out there. This event happens because each and every person who participates believes a better world is possible.”
After the performance, the dancers will hand out Act of Kindness cards to the crowd, prompting onlookers to perform the prompt on the card and then pass it along to someone else to keep the kindness going.
“Random acts of kindness make people feel good,” Rolke said.
Life Vest Inside garnered worldwide attention several years ago when Wahba created a 7-minute film, “Kindness Boomerang,” which was shot in Red Bank. The video, which has more than 30 million online views, went viral in 2011 and inspired people around the globe to pass kindness for ward.
This year’s event will be a fundraiser to keep the organization afloat. A $10 donation will be required at registration.
For more information or to register for the dance, visit www.danceforkindness.com.
Arts and Entertainment writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnBourbeau.
