Teenagers danced the night away for Frankie

At 21 years old, Matthew Durnin knew that he had to use his skills to benefit the less fortunate.

Durnin, a hip-hop dancer for “Steps on Broadway,” organized a dance marathon along with Paulette Benware and Colleen Volan, who helped put the event together. The event took place on April 27, putting children who need all the help they can get at the top of the list.

The proceeds from the Frankie’s Mission Pediatric Cancer Dance Marathon – held at Holy Angels Academy in Bay Ridge — all went to the Francesco Loccisano Memorial Foundation, a non-profit corporation that provides assistance to children with cancer and their families, making of it a marvelous and triumphant party.

“I was kind of jealous—I wish we had seasonal dances like my parents had when they were young. I knew we needed to have some type of dance in Bay Ridge or anywhere in Brooklyn,” he explained.

That’s why he decided to write a letter to Kevin Breen, chair of the board at the foundation, asking him if they’d consider his proposal. Two week later, Durnin got the approval he’d been looking for, and it was a go!

The dance had 75 people present, mostly teenagers ages 16 through 21, dancing the hours away to the tunes of today.

“If doesn’t matter how different you dance; that’s just your type of dancing,” Durnin recalls telling his friends while encouraging them to attend; $20 got them in for five hours of fun, from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Durnin, who learned his leading skills from being an Eagle Scout, left the young community wanting more festivities. Hopefully, he will be organizing more events as such in the future, knowing that it’s all for a good cause and well worth it.