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You're Invited to AARP's Free Online 'A Joy Supreme: Dancing to Motown Magic' Party

Grab some midwinter joy (and exercise!) with Thelma Houston, Boyz II Men and MC Lyte

spinner image An illustration for the Daybreaker Live A Joy Supreme Dancing to Motown Magic virtual party
AARP

Don't you miss going out dancing? AARP is teaming up with Daybreaker, the global morning dance movement, to celebrate Black History Month with Daybreaker Live! A Joy Supreme: Dancing to Motown Magic on Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET. Tuning via Daybreaker's Zoom video-chat platform, you'll get a chance to join a fantastic virtual dance party online and kick up your heels in safety at home, joined by R&B all-stars Thelma Houston and Boyz II Men, female rap pioneer MC Lyte and AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, who introduces the event. Don't miss out!

How the dance party works

Get ready for some easy, soul-lifting fun. Beginning at 11 a.m. ET, a “steppin’ & line-dancing” warm-up dance class — no experience required! — will give everyone a chance to get limber and in the groove. At 11:50, Daybreaker star Elliott LaRue will kick off the dance party itself, which will feature a DJ'd set by MC Lyte, and the great Thelma Houston singing the Grammy-winning “Don't Leave Me This Way” and Boyz II Men grooving to “Motownphilly” live. The party runs through 1 p.m. ET and participants of all ages and abilities are invited to this free event (advanced registration required). In other words, get your kids and grandkids to join you in the fun!

What to wear to the party

Wear whatever outfit puts a spring in your step. But if you want to really dazzle everybody on the interactive Zoom cam, we recommend sleek, sequined dresses, colorful high-style suits and all things reminiscent of Hitsville U.S.A.

Why dance parties are fun and good for you

A dance party is seriously good for you at a time when it can be more challenging to get exercise. The AARP-founded Global Council on Brain Health's report reveals that music and dance are effective treatment tools for a wide range of age-related diseases, including Parkinson's disease and dementia. They stimulate the brain, relieve stress, build social connections and combat the isolation that plagues so many of us these days.

What could be better than music or movement? The two combined, says John W. Krakauer, director of the Center for the Study of Motor Learning and Brain Repair at Johns Hopkins University. “Synchronizing music, which many studies have shown is pleasing to both the ear and brain, and movement — in essence, dance — may constitute a pleasure double play,” Krakauer wrote in Scientific American. Simply put, music stimulates the brain's reward centers, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits.

And while exercise in general has many positive effects on well-being and health, a study of 479 adults 70 years and older published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 showed that of 11 physical activities (including cycling and swimming), only dance lowered dementia risk.

Earn reward points while dancing!

There's even more benefits: Dancing to Motown Magic participants can sync their fitness tracker through AARP Rewards to earn 750 rewards points while dancing during the event.

Remember to RSVP!

More than 75,000 people have jumped for joy in these AARP Daybreaker events, and 15,000 have already registered for Daybreaker Live! A Joy Supreme: Dancing to Motown Magic. Get in on the fun by registering by 10:50 a.m. ET on Feb. 20, the day of the event.

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