A Conversation with Just Dance Coordinator Shawn Kiser
On Saturday, February 21, ten community leaders paired with ten professional dancers to stage the Just Dance fundraising event at your Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. All told, more than $450,000 dollars were raised for area causes, and Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Board Chair Heather Beresford more than held her own against some very stout competition. Following the event, we spoke with event coordinator Shawn Kiser about the inspiration behind Just Dance. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Where did the initial idea for Just Dance come from?
Just Dance exists to celebrate community, connection, and the power of the arts to bring people together for a greater purpose. By pairing community leaders with local professional dancers, the event shines a spotlight on the courage, dedication, and heart it takes to step outside of one’s comfort zone—all in support of causes that matter deeply to our community.
This year, ten community dancers took the stage, each raising funds for a local non-profit organization. Their journeys—training, fundraising, and ultimately performing—mirror the passion and perseverance of the non-profits they support. Every dance tells a story, and every dollar raised goes directly toward essential services and resources for the individuals and families they organizations serve.
How does the community aspect play into the larger goal of Just Dance?
Just Dance is more than a performance—it’s a movement of generosity and collaboration, joining businesses, neighbors and friends to rally behind both the dancers and the missions they champion. By sponsoring this event, you’re not only helping create a memorable evening of entertainment, but also investing in a stronger, healthier and more vibrant community.
This year, Just Dance was able to raise over $400,000 for area causes. What is it about dance, or about this dance event in particular, that brings generosity out in people?
Participants are able to raise a lot of money through just Dance because it utilizes a highly-effective peer-to-peer fundraising strategy. Each dancer is leveraging their family, friends, and network to support their causes. The same spirit of collaboration that makes the dancing so thrilling to watch also encourages us to work together toward the ultimate goal of helping those in our community.
A lot of effort certainly went into making the event such a success. Now that it’s in the rearview, what do you hope are some takeaways for those who participated, donated or attended?
We certainly hope everyone came away fulfilled and entertained; it was a spectacular dancing showcase, including traditional ballroom, contemporary, hip hop and much more. But more than that, we hope everyone walks away from Just Dance feeling inspired by the great work that non-profits do in our community. Because there’s always more work to do.