In 20020, Laguna Dance had a fundraiser event titled “Dance Like No One's Watching” to support the arts and artists. The event was held virtually in 2020 as part of the festival's 16th winter season.
The event featured: A commissioned work by Irene Rodríguez, an internationally renowned flamenco dancer, performances by recipients of the festival's 2020 Young Artist Scholarship program, a surprise announcement by a Laguna Beach celebrity, Meet the Artist panels, and Master classes.
The festival's executive director, Joy Dittberner, said that the virtual world allows people to dance without fear of judgment, similar to the advice of "dance like no one's watching". The phrase "dance like no one's watching" is a call to live freely and unselfconsciously, without fear of judgment from an audience. It's also said to have been coined by Mark Twain, who also included the phrases "sing like no one is listening" and "love like you've never been hurt".
The online festival featured events such as: three Meet the Artist webinars; a world-premiere commission (dance film, Towards your Shore) conceived and choreographed by Cuban artist, Irene Rodriguez; special event celebrating student scholarship recipients; student panels including weekend dance classes with guest artists.
