A Newtown Dance Concert was held at Newtown High School on Friday, July 24, to benefit NewArts, a division of The 12.14 Foundation.

Kindness in Motion was presented by NewArts Newtown Musicals, which has two upcoming productions. Liberty Smith, a musical, will be performed July 31-August 2, and Disney's The Lion King Jr will be performed the following weekend, August 6-9 (see separate story).

Persephonie Alvarez, founder of Thrive The Essence of Dance in Monroe, was the director for the dance concert, which included 33 acts, all performed by local youth. Ms Alvarez also performed the final act of the night.

“It went really well,” Ms Alvarez said, adding that all of the dancers were able to explore their artistry while involving the Newtown community.

Along with Ms Alvarex’s studio, other participating dance studios were The Gray School of Irish Dance, The Graceful Planet, Dance Etc, and the Connecticut Dance Conservatory.

Ms Alvarez said all of the dancers and others donated their time and effort to raise money for The 12.14 Foundation. The total amount raised was not yet calculated, according to Ms Alvarez, by July 28.