Noggin | RTT ‘Why We Dance’

Celebrate Juneteenth with Us!

We dance in celebration of Juneteenth and want you and your kids to dance with us! Record your family doing the dance moves listed below. Upload your video to your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page with accompanying hashtag #WhyWeDance. Follow and then tag @noggin and @alvinailey in your post, and you may be featured in our "Why We Dance" compilation video releasing in June 2021. Legal residents of US aged 18+ only. All videos are subject to the submissions guidelines.

See Submissions Guidelines

Learn the dance moves!

Tips for shooting your video

Place the camera HORIZONTALLY on a stable surface

Avoid wearing logos or capturing them in your shot

Shoot in a brightly lit space

Follow and tag us with your video

Why We Dance

"Why We Dance" is the final episode in the three-episode musical series featuring Christopher Jackson from Hamilton. Kids can watch as Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey, portrayed by Nella the Princess Knight and AJ from Blaze and the Monster Machines, express themselves through dance. You can stream "Why We Dance" now in Noggin.

About

Katherine Dunham

Katherine Dunham was a famous Black dancer. Some people called her the Queen Mother of Black Dance, because she helped so many Black people become professional dancers and she created a new way of dancing: The Dunham Technique.

The Dunham Technique is a mixture of ballet, modern, and Afro-Caribbean dance. Dancers move their hips and shoulders a lot, and usually many drums play during these dances.

She was an activist and a leader. She wanted to make sure life is fair for people, especially people who do not have a lot of money and people who are Black. She used her dances to tell stories and show people how some rules were not fair.

About

Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey was a Black dancer, director, choreographer, and activist.

When Alvin was in high school, he saw a dance show by Katherine Dunham, and it made him fall in love with dance. Dancing made him happy—and decided to study it.

He started the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He wanted to give everyone a chance to dance, no matter what color their skin was or what gender they were. He wanted people to know that dance was for everyone!

Alvin was an activist—he wanted to help people see that you shouldn’t think you know someone because of what they look like, who their friends are, or where they come from, but by what they do and how they act.