LIMA — For many participants in 5K walks and runs, it is simply about putting one foot in front of another as they make their way through the course. However, at Saturday’s Dancing Downtown 5K in downtown Lima, the footwork was slightly more complex.
Now in its third year, the event brought both runners and dance enthusiasts to downtown Lima, all eager to get their feet moving for a good cause. For Jennifer Velasquez, owner of Lima’s Pointe of Joy Dance Boutique and organizer of the Dancing Downtown 5K, the event is also a way to celebrate dance in Lima, a community that is more widespread than one might think.
“Our idea was to bring the dance community in Lima together,” she said. “There are 10 studios just in the Lima area, so that obviously means a lot of dancers. We wanted to celebrate what they all love together.”
While participants had the option of running or walking straight through the course, there was also the option of stopping at stations to learn portions of a choreographed dance routine to be performed as a group at the conclusion of the race.
“It’s just for fun and celebrating dance,” Velasquez said.
At the conclusion of the event, an after party was held, with proceeds from that event going to “I’m a Dancer Against Cancer,” which raises funds for families of dancers battling the disease.
“We also do a scholarship contest,” Velasquez said. “The top five studios will each receive a scholarship, and we pull those names at random. We also have a $1,000 scholarship that will be drawn at the end, donated by Pointe of Joy.”
Kelly Niese of Center Stage Dance Academy in Ottawa came to Lima to help set up and participate in the event. For her and her studio, the event took on greater significance as the sister of Jill Kuhlman, the owner of the studio, is battling cancer.
“We have a lot of dancers and parents out and Jill’s sister is here supporting it,” Niese said. “It’s a great event for us.”
Danielle Denison, owner of Lima Dance Academy, formerly In Step Dance, and an employee at Pointe of Joy, was excited to see the level of participation from all the dance studios and the rest of the community.
“It is the most fun seeing all the dancers come and dance together, not in a competitive spirit, but just for the joy of dancing,” she said. “The parents and grandparents get into it, too.”
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