Megan Long began studying dance in grammar school and has continued to be devoted to dance as a dancer, dance instructor at the private dance studio where she studies, and promoter of dance at her high school. She says her favorite style of dance is jazz. She is currently the secretary of her local chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA).
She helps to direct NHSDA’s Love Your Body Week at Lewis High School. The week is dedicated to creating body-positive dance environments among the general school population. Activities include speaking about the beauty of everyone regardless of shape and size, showing videos of dancers of all ages and size, and discussing the importance of body positivity and the use of dance to achieve it. In Megan’s opinion, it is important to “teach kids that no matter their shape, size, gender, or race – they are beautiful and can dance!” As the late US Representative John Lewis was fond of saying, “Too many of us still believe our differences define us.”
When asked what makes her feel so passionately about supporting Love Your Body Week, Megan says, “The dance community is known for pushing certain looks, body types, and even personalities onto their students. I believe it is important for students to know that dance is supposed to be fun for everyone. They should know that they are always welcome in our dance studio and that they don’t have to change themselves to dance.”
To keep everyone safe during the COVID pandemic, Megan has worked to carry on this tradition virtually. She relies upon messages such as “I am a beautiful dancer” or “Breaking the stereotype.” This year, Megan enjoyed teaching kids online how to make body-positive posters for public display. As a critical component of her effort, she widely shares social media videos of various plus-sized dancers which contain messages of body positivity and self-love.
Megan is now taking a class at John R. Lewis HS to earn a certification in personal training by the end of this school year. She hopes that as a trainer she will be able to continue spreading this message of self-love and encourage others to enjoy all kinds of dance.