The Senior Source is attempting something that may never before have been done in Dallas - a city-wide invitation for senior citizens to bust a move.
The Diamond Dance-Off kicks off today to celebrate the nonprofit's 60 years of service and to let those 60 and older in Dallas and Collin counties strut their stuff.
"After this year and the pandemic and seniors being locked inside, not being able to get out and so affected by the pandemic, we really wanted to do something fun and engaging to celebrate The Senior Source's 60th birthday and the impact we've made in the community but also give our seniors a time to shine and to really have some fun and bring smiles to our face and hopefully create some unity and joy around Dallas," said President and CEO Stacey Malcolmson.
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Submissions for the virtual competition are open April 1-20 for four categories: solo dance, partner or duo dance, group dance and generations dance. Entries into the bracket-style competition must include at least one adult aged 60 or older from Dallas or Collin County. The public can vote for their favorite dancer in competition rounds during the month of May.
The Diamond Dance-Off culminates in June where four finalists, one from each dance category, will compete live in front of local celebrity judges for The Diamond Dance-Off Crown Title and a $500 prize. Other awards up for grabs include an award for most creative video, oldest performer to submit a video and the fan favorite.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and Tik Tok sensation Old Man Steve, 82, shared dancing videos to show how it's done.
The Senior Source serves close to 30,000 older adults annually, mobilizing over 2,000 adult volunteers in the process. Over the past year, the nonprofit reported locally that 26% of older adults said they were more stressed and 42% said they were isolated because of the pandemic.
"We really are excited to take contestants from the Dallas area, have a lot of fun with this to remind people that the seniors in our community really are treasures and we want to give them this time to shine right now and bring smiles to the community. I think we can all use some of that," Malcolmson said.
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You can engage with The Senior Source on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, or by visiting theseniorsource.org. Boogie on over to catch The Diamond Dance-Off here.
