Waterloo Region schools attempt to break dancing world record

Students and staff members with the Waterloo Region District School Board are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most people performing a choreographed dance – simultaneously – online.

"I would be very proud because [if] our school made it into the Guinness World Records, that would be really cool," said Anda Sefsaliu, a grade 7 student at Chicopee Hills Public School in Kitchener.

About 730 people took part in the event Monday morning at Chicopee Hills, along with staff and students at 46 other schools in the region.

"The dance had some free dance parts and it also had some choreography during the chorus, so everybody would be doing the choreography at the same time at sites all over our board," said Principal Jenni Guy.

The current Guinness World Record, set in 2021, is 733.

The school board has not released final numbers yet but it's possible they surpassed that total based on the numbers of participants at Chicopee Hills Public School alone.

"It was a great experience because it was my first time dancing with a lot of people," said grade 7 student Miel Juliet Ferrer.

The school board said that even if they didn't break the record, it was still a fun activity and a way to bring the community together.

"We're having a moment for movement and for joy, really," said jeewan chanicka, the director of education for the Waterloo Region District School Board. "We've have a really difficult last two years. We're trying to get back into some kind of normal, and this was an opportunity to get kids out, get staff out, and even get the region out. Get people moving in a way that will inspire them and bring them some joy, after what's been a really difficult two years."

"It was a really happy feeling," said student Iman Siddiqi. "We haven’t done this in a long time with our friends… no masks and [a] party."

The school board said it could take up to 12 weeks before they find out if they officially broke the Guinness World Record.