Dropping their pants and dancing for a good cause

Stomp, pas de deux, tango or twerk, the world is still dancing away.

Over the last few weeks, dance showcases have been happening around the world.

On Wednesday, scores of people arrived at Pier 97 in New York for the "Drop Your Pants and Dance for Underwareness" campaign.

It is meant to help support the 65 million Americans who suffer from bladder leakage.

For every photo and video shared with the hashtags #Underwareness and #DropYourPants, US company Depend Underwear would donate US$1 (S$1.25) towards research into the affliction.

Also last week, ballet stars of the Paris Opera visited Japan's Fukushima to hold classes with students.

Ten dancers held classes, giving students not only advice on technique but also moral support.

And for many of the students, dance is an escape from their regular circumstances.

One dancer, 12-year-old Moyu Sakai, fled the area with her family when the tsunami sent the reactors at Fukushima Daichii nuclear power plant into meltdown.

She says: "I could think only about ballet. As soon as I returned, I started my lessons again."

This article was first published on August 10, 2014.
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