Dance competition and demonstration to showcase benefits of eating right and exercise
The Louisiana 2 Step campaign will bring together Cajun dancers and members of the Best Buddies Program of New Orleans to lead a mass 2 step dance during the New Orleans Zephyrs baseball game against the Omaha Royals on Friday, May 18.
The fun starts at 5:30 p.m. in the plaza area outside Zephyr Field when local members of the Best Buddies Program will dance the 2 step in front of celebrity judges. Dubbed Louisiana 2 Step Night, the dance competition and mass 2 step during the seventh-inning stretch are intended to promote the Louisiana 2 Step – a statewide public health campaign developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
The Louisiana 2 Step campaign urges Louisiana residents to “Do the 2” – that is, take two small daily steps toward better health by eating right and moving more. The fun, free and information-packed www.Louisiana2Step.com website gives visitors a wide variety of interactive tools, including virtual health coaches, to educate, motivate and inspire them to make healthier lifestyle choices.
“We launched the website in January, and as of April 1, more than 3,200 people are using the resources to take a personal stance to help combat the devastating health effects of obesity and physical inactivity,” said Gery J. Barry, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. “This event will show baseball fans that physical activity can be fun as well as beneficial to your health.”
As a bonus, 2 Step members get preferred ticket pricing for the game, with $5 tickets available through a special members-only promotional coupon available on the Louisiana 2 Step website at www.Louisiana2Step.com.
For the past few weeks, members of the Cajun Dance Company have been teaching Best Buddies Program members how to dance the 2 step. Before the first pitch at the May 18 game, pairs of “best buddies” will perform the 2 step to live music by the Lafayette Rhythm Devils.
Then Best Buddies members will take their recently learned techniques into the stands during the game, which begins at 7 p.m., and perform to recorded Cajun music while encouraging audience participation. Fans will be given flyers on how to do the 2 step and how to Do the 2.
“Louisiana music was made for dancing,” said Jim Hooter, founder of the Cajun Dance Company. “If we can show fans how fun, physical activity can be a part of their daily lives, then we’ll help make the state healthier … and better dancers.”
More games and giveaways will take place during the third inning. During the seventh-inning stretch, celebrity judges will award the top Best Buddies 2 step team a trophy, with all participants earning recognition.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of the event and support our members as they lead the cause for their community by promoting good health,” said Monique Marino, Best Buddies Louisiana state director. “Not only will fans feel inspired to take care of themselves by doing the Louisiana 2 Step, they’ll also feel great about making friendship possible for people who have intellectual disabilities.”
Blue Cross, the state’s largest health insurer, and the Pennington Center, a world-class research facility based in Baton Rouge, joined forces in January 2007 to kick off the Louisiana 2 Step program to fight obesity – one of the leading causes of preventable illness in our state. As of April 1, more than 3,200 users had registered with the campaign’s website at www.Louisiana2Step.com.
About Blue Cross
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is Louisiana-owned and -operated. Marking its 73rd anniversary this year, the company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It is a tax-paying mutual company, owned by its policyholders. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also has district offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport. The company’s subsidiaries include HMO Louisiana, Inc. and Southern National Life Insurance Company, Inc.
About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Opened in 1988, the Pennington Center now houses 14 research laboratories, 17 core service laboratories, inpatient and outpatient clinics, a research kitchen, an administrative area and more than $20 million in technologically advanced equipment. The Center was expanded in 1993 to include the C.B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center, residence apartments, and an exercise and fitness facility. More than 70 faculty members and over 600 physicians, scientists, and support personnel focus their research efforts on six key areas: Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Experimental Obesity, Functional Foods, Nutrition and Chronic Diseases, Health and Performance Enhancement, and Nutrition and the Brain. For more information, visit www.pbrc.edu.
About Best Buddies Louisiana
Best Buddies Louisiana (www.bestbuddieslouisiana.org) enhances the lives of persons with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment. The program hosts chapters at middle school, high school and college campuses across the state, providing leadership opportunities and enrichment to both the buddy with and the buddy without an intellectual disability.
About the Cajun Dance Company
The Cajun Dance Company (www.cajundanceco.com), formerly La Compagnie De Danse Acadienne De La Novelle Orléans, was formed to nurture and celebrate the lively and rich tradition of this music and dance. Members of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Cajun French Music Association, the dancers bring with them enthusiasm for and devotion to Cajun culture and its art. The Cajun Dance Company is also an 11-year member of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.
