Stepping through the red crepe streamers into Memorial Gym, memories of high school dances become as vivid as the strings of colored lights draped from the ceiling. But this is no high school dance - this is Dance Marathon, a 24-hour weekend groove session that combines charitable fundraising with a rollicking rhythm-fest.
Dance Marathon began in 1999 as the brainchild of third-year Engineering student Jeff Ludwig and has rapidly grown into one of the University's foremost charitable events.
From a fundraising effort of $8,000 three years ago to this year's total of $37,846, Dance Marathon has expanded at an incredible rate.
Dance Marathon benefits the Sarah DuBose Fund, a charity that aids University Hospital's Newborn Intensive Care Unit, which cares for hospitalized newborns and their families.
Sally DuBose started the fund with her husband after her daughter, Sarah, was confined to the NICU for four months after her birth.
|
"Sarah was very premature," Dubose said. My water broke at 19 weeks, and usually you end up miscarrying." However, Sarah was born 10 weeks later, and despite her early health problems, she managed to survive with the help of NICU staff.
Today, Sarah's story inspires many students to get involved with Dance Marathon. An added benefit is participation in a day-long party.
"I'm not going to lie to you," said second-year College student Kemper Steele, a Dance Marathon Morale committee member. "I love to dance, bottom line. But in the end, you do it for the kids."
"A lot of people come not understanding that they will come away with something more, especially the first-timers," Ludwig said. "You can look at it as a 24-hour dance party, and it is, but one of the things it really focuses on is [that] this is for a really awesome cause, and you're really helping people start their lives."
1:59 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24
30, 29, 28, 27 ...
A chant emerges above the excited chatter as over 100 students count down the seconds before the dancing begins.
Five, four, three, two, ONE!
Dozens of students run around, waving NASCAR-style flags and sporting odd costumes - from feather boas to Superman capes - as "Footloose" blares from the speakers. Twenty-four hours of dancing has begun.
"It's kind of weird to be dancing in the middle of the day," says Dance Marathon Entertainment committee member and first-year College student Shelly Sassman.
2:20 p.m.
"What movie helped launch the career of famous 'ER' doctor Anthony Edwards?" an emcee asks, as the University's own version of Hollywood Squares debuts on the main stage. "Top Gun!" an excited contestant blurts out during a dancing break.
2:58 p.m.
Marathoners gather on stage and perform the first line dance of the day as new dancers try to catch on.
"We do a line dance every hour to keep everyone's morale up, to get them excited," Ludwig explains.
5:00 p.m.
Song drifts through the interior of Mem Gym as Acapella Hour shifts into full swing. Marathoners watch as University groups, such as the Silhouettes, the Academical Village People, the Virginia Belles and Hoos in Treble, put their singing stamina to the test.
6:03 p.m.
The Tae Kwon Do club provides an entertaining break before dinner by chopping wood in half with impressive kicks and punches.
Dance Marathon's Corporate Giving Committee chairwoman, second-year College student Sarah Looney, speaks about the support of the Charlottesville community.
"Our committee literally called every place in the phone book looking for donations," Looney says. "This year we have some amazing sponsors. We have food provided for every meal thanks to the generosity of the community."
From a Middle School Dance theme to a diva theme, a different type of music distinguishes each hour of the marathon.
"I really like the different theme hours because they make the time go by faster," says first-year College student Julie Young. "The '80s Hour has been my favorite, especially the costumes. I can't believe people still have those clothes!"
The '80s Hour provides one of the most popular themes, but second-year Engineering student Dan Roper is more excited about a different decade.
"I'm waiting for '70s hour so I can model my three-piece orange suit," he says.
10:00 p.m.
A fashion show sponsored by the Fashion Club is a highlight of the House of Style theme hour. Smartly dressed models strut down the makeshift runway in sync with upbeat background music. An announcer and photographers complete the fashion show atmosphere.
10:37 p.m.
A few Dance Marathon participants take a break to study behind the stage, away from the noisy dance floor.
2:15 a.m.
The crowd thins out considerably for frat party hour. However, an energetic group of dancers crowds the front of the stage.
On the sides of the dance floor, two groups of girls play games of non-alcoholic beer pong, complete with red plastic cups. Two guys in togas and Viking helmets wander the dance floor.
"I'm actually not that tired right now because I'm used to pulling all-nighters," says Roper, who participates with several of his friends.
3:30 a.m.
First-year College student Laura Stanley describes this red-eyed portion of the Marathon as the "hardest hour." But "once the sun starts coming up it starts getting easier," she says.
5:00 a.m.
With the rays of light peering into the windows, a new hour of music begins. First-year College student Will Kettunen says this segment of Dance Marathon, Boy Band Hour, is secretly a guilty pleasure.
12:03 p.m.
Family Hour - the real heart of Dance Marathon - finally arrives and energizes the bleary-eyed dancers.
The emotional 23rd hour of the marathon brings dozens of parents and their children to Mem Gym to thank the students who have been dancing, as well as the community contributors.
"You see kids who overcame the odds and they're dancing with you. And you hear stories of things that didn't work out, which is why the NICU needs more help," says third-year College student and Dance Marathon Family Relations chairwoman Jen Leigh, a community member present during Family Hour.
Grenelle Delany expresses her appreciation for student support at the marathon.
Delany, a board member of the Sarah DuBose Fund, later provided an inspirational story of her daughter Charlotte's unlikely survival.
Charlotte was born six weeks early in an emergency Cesarean section delivery after a sonogram revealed that both mother and child were full of fluid.
"She had a 20 percent chance of surviving," Delany said. When she was born she weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce, "and they put her in the NICU and started draining fluid. They drained two pounds of fluid off her," Delany said.
Then doctors discovered an extremely rare tumor in Charlotte's chest, which warranted surgery only four days after her birth.
She remained in the NICU for a month, time which was "touch and go for about two and a half, three weeks, and then she just continued to get better," Delany said.
Charlotte is now a healthy five-year old girl.
"I'm going to dance a little," said Gray Delany, Charlotte's older brother, who came to support his sister at the Dance Marathon.
"Some of my friends are going to come," said the fifth-grader, who listed Louis Armstrong as one of his favorite performers.
"The enthusiasm of seeing about 400 students dancing for such a wonderful cause and giving up a weekend," Grenelle Delany said, describing her favorite part of Dance Marathon. "This year they'll be giving up the North Carolina-Virginia [basketball] game. We are just overwhelmed with the enthusiasm they give. They are just phenomenal in what they accomplish."
The families the NICU affects cannot praise Dance Marathon participants enough.
"The Dance Marathon is the greatest gift that's come to me," DuBose said. "It's really nice to see the U.Va. students already know what a difference they're making. They're the leaders of tomorrow. I'm just in awe of what they're doing today."
Many students who had danced in previous years mentioned Family Hour as their favorite part of the Dance Marathon.
Despite her fatigue, Stanley, a first-time marathoner did not want to stop after the inspiration of the marathon's family-oriented portion.
"I still want to dance more," she said. "Let's keep dancing"
Read More
The triumphant return of Littlejohn’s
By Blaine Hutchens and Kate Johnson | 15 hours agoThe revived Littlejohn’s presents a tasty and conveniently located, albeit pricey, food option for those looking for a taste of old and new.
Top 10 things to know before attending the Foxfield Races
By Malone Morchower | YesterdayEvery year, students arrive in droves to watch the horses, bask in the sun and hang out with friends before finals and summer vacation.
The perfect pony-themed bite for Foxfield
By Evalina Caruccio | YesterdayHunt Country is the perfect spot to grab some lunch for a picnic, or my personal favorite — the best way to fight Foxfield famish.
