The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida, recently released video of news conference. It began very seriously.
“We’re here for an important announcement today,” Sheriffs Jerry L. Demings said.
But then he exclaimed, “Keep dancing, Orlando! Hit it!” and pushed play on Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
The ensuing dance party was the department’s response to the ongoing #KeepDancingOrlando challenge, which was created less than two weeks after a gunman opened fire in the Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people.
The creators called for people to honor the victims and “help Orlando heal through the power of dance,” while also asking for donations to OneOrlando.org.
Videos of the challenge responses are posted at keepdancingorlando.com.
The Sheriff’s Office stepped up to the stage with its video, posted July 1, showing employees across the agency dancing — and breakdancing — including a helicopter crew, a K-9 officer and horse-mounted patrol.
“Hundreds of OCSO employees came together as a unit, group or individually to demonstrate that we stand together united with our community and as Americans,” the sheriff’s Facebook post stated. “We remain Orlando United; Keep Dancing Orlando!! #OrlandoUnited #KeepDancingOrlando.”
Demings passed on the challenge to the Orlando Police Department and the city government.