Nick Cannon will try to dance for 24 hours straight for Red Nose Day fundraiser

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 5 (UPI) -- Entertainer Nick Cannon will attempt to dance non-stop for 24 hours in honor of the inaugural Red Nose Day celebration in the United States, NBC announced.

Red Nose Day Danceathon with Nick Cannon is to begin streaming live from New York on NBC.com May 20. The day of dance will be filled with guest disc jockeys and musicians, celebrity drop-ins, and a variety of dance acts and troupes. Viewers can support Cannon's endeavor through sponsorship and donation.

The online program will lead into NBC's, 3-hour Red Nose Day fundraising telecast May 21. The telethon will feature sketch comedy, parodies, videos produced by Funny Or Die, live musical performances and short appeals films that shed light on those in need.

"With a focus on having fun, raising money and changing lives, the star-studded event will raise money for Red Nose Day to help lift children and young people out of poverty in the United States and in some of the poorest communities in the world," the network said in a news release.

"I can't wait to leave it all on the dance floor in the 24 hours leading up to Red Nose Day," Cannon said in a statement Monday. "I'm honored to participate in such an amazing event, and to help raise money for such a worthy cause."

Created by film director/writer Richard Curtis in conjunction with Comic Relief, Red Nose Day is an enormously popular, annual event in the United Kingdom that has raised more than $1 billion over the past 30 years.