Rx Ballroom Dance Receives National Recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts and Congressman Mike Levin

Rx Ballroom Dance is honored to announce that we have been awarded a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) through its highly competitive Grants for Arts Projects (Dance) program and that our work has now also been formally recognized by Congressman Mike Levin.

In a year when federal arts funding has been significantly reduced, receiving an NEA grant carries even greater weight. Competition was fierce, and only a small number of organizations nationwide were selected. This award affirms not only the artistic quality of our programs, but also their national importance and measurable impact.

What makes this recognition even more extraordinary is that Rx Ballroom Dance is the only organization in the United States to receive an NEA award specifically for ballroom dance during this funding cycle. The only other ballroom-related awards were granted to individual instructors for teaching single classes, not to organizations running full, year-round programs that integrate ballroom dance with neurological health, community building, and evidence-based outcomes.

Congressman Mike Levin’s office shared its congratulations, noting the role Rx Ballroom Dance plays in enhancing the quality of life for people living with neurological conditions by providing a sense of community and a creative outlet for participants, families, and caregivers. For us, this acknowledgment reflects what our dancers live every day: that dance is not simply movement, it is a pathway to confidence, connection, and dignity.

Rx Ballroom Dance serves adults living with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other movement and cognitive disorders. Through ballroom dance, participants build balance, coordination, posture, memory, and emotional well-being while also forming meaningful relationships and reclaiming joy.

This NEA award will directly support our ongoing work to expand access to these life-changing classes, reach new communities, and continue strengthening the bridge between arts and health. It allows us to keep doing what we do best: transforming lives, one dance at a time.

We are deeply grateful to the NEA, to Congressman Levin’s office, and to every dancer, caregiver, volunteer, donor, and partner who makes this work possible. This national recognition belongs to all of you.

Together, we are proving that ballroom dance is not just an art, it is a powerful force for healing, resilience, and human connection. 💙