For the Love of Dance, a fundraising event featuring a variety of Long Island dance companies, will take place at Bayway Arts Center in East Islip on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The event, which benefits the Bread of Life Foundation, will begin at 5:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door, though advance tickets via Eventbrite are recommended to ensure availability.
“I do have a lot of confidence that we will sell out the event, and it will be a great, great showcase,” said Lynette Teran, president of the Bread of Life Foundation.
Although this is the Holtsville nonprofit’s first dance event, she said, “We plan on doing this every year because I believe it will get bigger and bigger.”
With eight dance studios participating, Teran told South Shore Press, “We hope to have a great night of good talent.” She noted the “dancers have a heart to give back to the community. At the end of the day you know it’s for their love and passion for dance and just to be able to give back.”
Featured among the dance studios will be Long Island University Dance Team, Create Dance Center, Artistic Choreography Dance Academy, Stars on Stage Dance Academy, Dance Connection, Starlite School of Dance, Lori’s Dance Center and A Step Above Performing Arts.
Previous fundraisers have included golf outings and pancake breakfasts, helping to address many community needs like food, school supplies, holiday turkeys, and even toys. The group’s hands-on approach takes volunteers to where the need is, from the Knights of Columbus in Patchogue to the VFW in Medford, as well as turkey drop-off sites.
“We distribute food; we provide education and empowerment and we have community engagement. But, most of all our mission is to ensure that no family goes to bed hungry,” Teran said. “We want to create an environment in our world where everyone has access to food, and we want to give support to allow people to thrive. We want to break the cycle of poverty.”
She noted that food insecurity has escalated in recent years, making the contribution of these dancers—some of whom have volunteered at prior events—even more special.
“Everything is very expensive, especially in Long Island, as you can see. Even the rent. And we’re not just targeting people that are homeless; we’re targeting struggling families,” she said.
Teran, the president and founder of the Bread of Life Foundation, started the organization because she wanted to make a difference in her community.
“I just love doing this type of work,” she said. “I feel that we’re here to serve one another…. If we all did a little more, there’d be less hunger and less poverty…I just think it would be a great place to live.”