Do you have that song stuck in your head? GOOD. It will serve you well today.

Why, you ask? Because today is National Dance Day, aka my favorite day ever! Other than my birthday. And Christmas. And Bug and Mister Jess’s birthdays. And my wedding anniversary.

At any rate, it’s definitely on my top ten list of favorite days ever, but it’s actually only been around for a few years. It was launched in 2010 by the Dizzy Feet Foundation‘s co-president Nigel Lythgoe (also the Big Boss of “So You Think You Can Dance”, another obsession of mine). According to DFF’s website, National Dance Day, which falls on the last Saturday in July, is a “grassroots campaign (that) encourages Americans to embrace dance as a fun and positive way to maintain good health and combat obesity.”

Embrace dance? Yeah, I think I can do that.

As excited as I am about a day devoted entirely to my favorite form of exercise, I have been living National Dance Day nearly every day since I was little. My love for music and dance was fostered from an early age, watching my Aunt Teri’s college dance performances with awe, attending ballet class with my cousin Charity. We even put on shows for our family, captive audience that they were. I adored classic movies like Singin’ in the Rain and White Christmas, where the actors seemed to glide on air. If I could have hopped through the TV screen and danced along with Gene Kelly, I would have.

There have been, junior high dances (fun), high school dances (super fun) and college dances (a little too much fun). Nightclub dances and wedding dances. “I have the house to myself, solo dance party, heyyyyy” dances and “the music got a hold of me in the middle of Starbucks, this is awkward” dances. I dance at work. I dance at stoplights. I dance when I run. I dance for Bug and hope that he catches the fever.  Trust me when I say that if there is music playing, it takes a lot of self control not to dance.

While I generally hate being sweaty, out of breath, and sore, I don’t consider it a good dance session unless I’m all three when the music stops. If my feet are achy and my throat is scratchy at the end of my sesh, I’m a happy girl.

Now, it wouldn’t be National Dance Day without everyone getting involved, so I asked the other Chicks to send me evidence of them getting their dance on. Enjoy these sweet moves!

Brooke and her running pal, Sara, show us what they’ve got:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5SknjLHEKI]

Meri and Pooks sweatin’ to the beat:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCfa1p4BTqU]

Vic shakin’ it:

Cam using what her mama gave her:

Bec is an expert chair dancer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGTZBB-l4Io&w=480&h=360]

A sampling of my sweet style:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdz2b-hmHno]

Are you a dancing machine? What’s your go-to move? How do you plan to celebrate National Dance Day? Talk to me in the comments!