10th Annual Dancing in the Park kicks off for the weekend

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)-Today is National Dance Day and to celebrate local dancers and performers came together for Dancing in the Park.

And this year marks the 10th anniversary for the event.

KMG Creations Dance, Fitness, and Production is celebrating a day of Dance in the city of Starkville.

Various Mississippi arts, dancers, and performers came together to share and support everyone’s love for dance.

But for Creative Director and Organizer Kayla Gilmore, the event is more than that.

She puts on the event to memorialize her sister and niece, who were killed in an auto accident back in 2007.

“I found a creative way to incorporate their support that they had for me and give back to the community,” said Gilmore.

Gilmore says they were her biggest supporters and wants to their memory to live on.

She says this event promotes healthy living through dance and other forms of movement for all ages.

” Everybody can come together and just show love to one another and just use the arts. Arts is our connectivity,” said Gilmore.

It also exposes the community to various styles of dance, including international performances.

” It’s time for the community to come together. We have everybody here. We got all cultures here, and you get to see African dance cultures and American. It’s all balled up in one,” said Gilmore.

And it turns out, Gilmore says, sharing your gift with others can open more doors to creativity.

Dancing in the park also brought awareness for those with disabilities and hosted an awareness walk before the event.