As the CEO of BYOU ‘Be Your Own You,’ Debra Gano always looks for opportunities for tween and teens girls to do fun and amazing things. Recently Debra was contacted by the U.S. Department of Health to partner with them for a dance contest for their Best Bones Forever! (BBF) campaign, which is a national bone health campaign led by the U.S. Department  of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. The campaign targets girls ages 9-14 to build bone strength “from the inside out”  by encouraging  increased calcium and vitamin D consumption and physical activity. Many of you are aware of her mission to ‘empower girls from the inside out,’ so you can see the synergy in this partnership!

So when they asked BYOU to partner with them on their contest for girls, we were very excited! Today, Best Bones Forever! and teen pop recording group Savvy, who is featured in the TV show The Wannabes aired in 92 countries and on Radio Disney, announced the launch of the Let’s Dance Contest. With a nod to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, the goal is to get girls moving and help them build strong bones, all while having fun with their friends.

Girls across the country are invited to form a group with their BFFs (best friends forever), choreograph a dance routine to one of five Savvy songs, record themselves doing the routine, then upload the video to the contest website, www.bbfletsdance.com. The winning team will win a trip to appear in a Savvy music video, and EACH WEEK a featured video will be selected where every participant will win a fun prize from girls’ self-esteem company BYOU Be Your Own You!

 “The Let’s Dance contest is going to be awesome,” says GiGi LeMaire, 14, of Savvy. “We want all girls, whether they’re trained dancers or they like to dance just for fun, to get involved and show us what they’ve got!”

 While the Let’s Dance Contest is all about having fun, it’s also meant to help girls get active.  “To stay healthy and build strong bones, girls need an hour of physical activity each day, but that doesn’t just mean they have to hit the gym or hop on a treadmill,” says Savvy’s Shaylen Carroll. “Many other activities, like yoga, cheerleading, soccer, figure skating—and, of course, dancing—count, too. That’s why this contest is so great—as girls practice their routines, they’ll be getting the physical activity they need without even realizing it! “

Videos for the Best Bones Forever! Let’s Dance Contest featuring Savvy kicks will be accepted through August 10, 2011 and winners will be announced on August 27, 2011. For more information and to upload videos, visit www.bbfletsdance.com.

For more information on the BBF campaign, visit the website for girls at www.bestbonesforever.gov or for parents at www.bestbonesforever.gov/parents

XOXO

Team Cymphonique