Wavertree dad hopes to raise £4,000 with 24-hour danceathon to help fund kids’ Disney dream

Wavertree dad Danny Blair is hoping to raise £4,000 with a 24-hour dance marathon to help send his children’s dance school to Disneyland Paris.

The Liverpool University lecturer will be throwing some shapes in St Stephen’s URC scout hut in Lance Lane from 7pm tomorrow until the same time on Sunday.

And the money he raises will help fund a trip for Cody Urban Dance school that son Archie, 12, and nine-year-old daughter Ella go to to perform on the Videopolis stage at Disneyland in October.

It’s a huge coup for the Liverpool dance school – which performed at the recent Zoe’s Place Concert at M&S Bank Arena and raised hundreds to save Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice (now called Little Lights) – to be asked to perform in front of a Disney audience, but it needs to raise more than £22,000 for accommodation and resort passes to make sure every child chosen – including Archie and Ella – has the chance to go.

Danny, who teaches therapeutic radiography and oncology, says:

“Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t have a problem making a fool of myself, and I was trying to think of something to do to raise money that would attract attention.

“So this is a bit mad.

“I’m 42, I’m a bit overweight – and I’m definitely not a dancer. 

“I have a few dad dance moves that I’m well known for including my arms going round like a windmill and dropping a grenade on the dancefloor, but when I tell people I’m doing a danceathon, the usual reaction is ‘what you?!!’ So I thought it might get a bit of traction and raise a lot of cash.”

Danny, who also has a 10-year-old daughter Annie with wife Clare, is planning to start off his marathon effort with random Spotify tunes and hoping the music streaming service will suggest a few different tracks he can get moving to.

“One thought I had was playing the songs that get you OFF the dancefloor so that would be a challenge, like Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams, so I might dance for a whole hour to that.”

He’s also got local DJs La Rumba and Jimmy Allen spinning some tracks to get him – and keep him -going.

A dancer Danny isn’t:

“I went to one of Archie’s breakdancing classes and I looked like I was having a medical emergency,” he grins. “In fact there could be an actual medical emergency with me trying to dance for 24 hours. Maybe I should have an ambulance or defibrillator on standby?!”

But he’s happy to do anything to help his kids and their school get to Disney: “I’ve even pledged to dance in stilettoes for an hour if one person promises to donate £100, and the last time I tried on a pair of heels they were my mum’s and I was about two – and I fell off them.”

Danny is though no stranger to whacky fundraising ideas having pledged to collect £10,000 for Clatterbridge Cancer Centre where he used to work as a treatment radiographer if anyone gave him a ticket to the Liverpool v Chelsea game in the Premier League title race in 2014.

True to his word when someone came up with a ticket, he came up with 11 running challenges to make sure he raised the £10,000 he’d promised.

“Dancing for 24 hours will be hard.  It’s going to be tough,” he says. “But in my job I see the most inspirational people who, in their darkest times, find time to have a laugh and fun. 

“What I’m doing should be easy compared with what they have to do.”

Danny is streaming the whole 24 hours and hopes watching him smile through his struggles will encourage people to add to the £1,400 he’s already secured.

“It will be nice if we can get to, or above, £4,000 – and get the group from Cody Urban Dance to Disney,” he smiles.

“My kids know I’m a bit mad so they’re not surprised I’m doing this, but Archie is a little embarrassed – and he did ask if I’d be taking my social media account down once I’ve done it.

“But I’m doing it because I’m proud of my kids. They are great humans.

“Young people get a bad rap but the ones I see are supportive people who have a great sense of humour and want to get involved in stuff.

“So this is for them.”

To help Danny raise money for Cody Urban Dance and watch him ‘make a fool of myself’, go to his @dannys24hourdanceathon’s profile on Instagram.

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