Dance marathon

Marathon dancing, 1923

A dance marathon is an event in which people stay on their feet for a given length of time. It started as a popular fad in the 1920s and 1930s, when organized dance endurance contests attracted people to compete to achieve fame or win monetary prizes. A 1969 film about the fad, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, based on the 1935 book of the same name, written by Horace McCoy who was a bouncer at several such marathons, popularised the idea, and prompted students at Pennsylvania State University and Northwestern University to create charity dance marathons.

1920s and 1930s

One notable account of marathon dancing comes from the early chapters of Anita O'Day's memoir, High Times Hard Times: "It seems unbelievable now but there were once fifteen thousand people-- promoters, emcees, floor judges, trainers, nurses, cooks, janitors, cashiers, ticket-takers, publicity agents, promotion men, musicians, contestants and even a lawyer-- whose main source of income over a number of years came from endurance shows." Photographs from several marathons, menus of food served to dancers at different times of day, the benefits claimed for marathons by promoters, and much rare information about them is preserved in "Souvenir Booklet: The Dance Marathon" (1933?), published by R. M. Edwards in Rochester, IN. This booklet, which is unrecorded on Worldcat, states on the back cover "This little booklet is sold to you by one of the contestants and they have benefited by a liberal percentage of the receipts, and they THANK YOU!." Above this claim were lines for the autograph of that contestant and the name of the marathon.

Charity dance marathons

Main article: Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon

A modern charity dance marathon at Pennsylvania State University

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as 'THON, is a 46 hour-long dance marathon that takes place every February at the Pennsylvania State University with the purpose of raising money to combat children's cancer. It was started in 1973 by the University's Interfraternity Council, and in its first year, more than $2,000 was raised, with 39 couples dancing for 30 hours straight. Today, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world with $9,563,016.09 having been raised at the 2011 event, pushing the overall money total since THON's inception to over $78 million. In February 2012, THON helped raised $10,686,924.83. The money that is raised is donated to The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to defeating pediatric cancer through research and caring for patients at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center Children's Hospital.

Main article: Northwestern University Dance Marathon

Founded in 1975, the Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM) is one of the world's largest student-run philanthropies. The event brings together more than 1,500 students, faculty, and staff to participate in the 30-hour dance-a-thon at the end of the winter quarter. The primary beneficiary is chosen each May, and over 300 committee members work throughout the year to help organize the event and raise awareness. In 2012, NUDM raised $1,107,760 to benefit The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. In its 38-year history, NUDM has raised more than $13 million for 30 different charities.

Other colleges that have Dance Marathons include the University of Kentucky, University of Southern California, Indiana University, Florida State University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, UCLA, University of North Carolina, University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, and University of Florida. In 2010, the 20th annual Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM) raised $1,602,713.20 for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. To date, the 36-hour IUDM has raised over $8.5 million for Riley. Florida State University holds the largest student-run philanthropy in the Southeastern United States that includes over 2000 student volunteers and a fundraising total of over $3.3 million in the last 16 years. Rutgers' 32-hour Dance Marathon has raised over $2 million for the Embrace Kids Foundation, which aids families of children with cancer and blood disorders. Dance Marathon at UCLA, in its 11th year in 2012 and raised a total of $3 million, benefits the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Project Kindle, One Heartland, and the UCLA AIDS Institute. The University of Iowa Dance Marathon was founded in 1994 and in 2012 raised $1,369,147.18 to support oncology patients being treated at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Stanford's Dance Marathon benefits primarily Partners in Health and FACE AIDS, and they also choose a local beneficiary each year. The Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan (DMUM) raises money to support programs at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, part of the University of Michigan Health System, and William Beaumont Hospital. The money raised for these therapies allows DMUM families to participate in various therapies. Participants of DMUM volunteer at these therapies in order to build relationships with Dance Marathon children. Every March, Participants of DMUM stand 30 hours at Michigan's Indoor Track and Field show their dedication to the children, families, and hospitals we support.

The fastest growing dance marathon in the nation, DanceBlue, began when Jennifer Mynear led a forum at the University of Kentucky regarding the potential for a dance maraton on the campus. Jennifer's son, Jarrett Mynear, died at the age of 13 after an 11-year long battle with cancer. Leadership groups around UK's campus were inspired to recruit organizers for this new cancer campaign, and they were met with tremendous support. Organizers found a welcome home for this new event at the UK Center for Community Outreach. The first DanceBlue marathon took place at Memorial Coliseum in February 2006 with more than 30 student organizations and 180 dancers. The marathon raised $123,323.16 for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic. That year, DanceBlue broke all fundraising records for a first-year dance marathon event. It became the most successful student-run philanthropy event in UK’s history and has continued to grow over the years. The 2011 dance marathon found success with the help of 700 dancers, 95 teams, and countless donors and raised $673.976.60 for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic situating the grand total of funds raised by DanceBlue at over $2,675,000 since its inception in 2005. DanceBlue continues to expand to involve more students, staff, and members of the Lexington community.

High Schools

The largest Dance Marathon in the High School level is held every year in the South Glens Falls Central School District in the beginning of March. Approaching its 35th anniversary, the dance has raised over 2.7 million dollars to support over 184 causes in their community. More than three quarters of the High School's population participates in the dance. In 2011, over 800 students signed up as dancers, eclipsing the first dance's amount of only 50 students in 1977. Last year, the dance raised $326,213.58, breaking all previous records.In 2012, at the 35th annual dance more than $394,000.00 was raised for 35 recipients. This pushed the overall amount raised to break $3 million.

District 219 Dance Marathon has been run by Niles North And Niles West High School since 2003 in Skokie, Illinois. Each year a new charity is selected. - 2003, Children's Miracle Network, $8,000 - 2004, Bear Necessities, $23,000 - 2005, Causes, $25,000 - 2006, Rock for Kids, $44,000 - 2007, Have Dreams, $51,000 - 2008, Partners in Health, $70,000 - 2009, Camp One Step at A Time, $83,000 - 2010, Expanding Lives, $83,000 - 2011, Refugee One, $86,000 - 2012, Special Gifts Theatre Students raise money throughout the year and the event is held in May. The website for District 219 Dance Marathon is http://www.dm219.org

Edison High School started their dance marathon in May of 2008 as a joint effort of the 6 ASB President's of the HBUHSD. In it's first year, Dance Marathon had roughly 750 participants and raised nearly $14,000 in its first year benefiting Camp Kindle, a camp for kids impacted by HIV/AIDS. Since then, Dance Marathon has grown larger every year and has nearly 2,000 participants each year. While the philanthropy may change year to year, it's origin and inspiration was benefiting Pediatric AIDS. Dance Marathon has cumulatively raised close to $100,000.

The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California holds a Dance Marathon every year to support Rady's Children Hospital and its affiliated patients.

In 2003, Springfield High School (SHS) located in Springfield, PA (Delco) started Dance Marathon at their school. It was started out of inspiration by a SHS teacher named Mr. Steve Stefani. He was a highly praised and respected teacher that everyone knew. When Steve died, many students and staff were heartbroken. This sparked an idea in a teacher named Mr. John Gildea. John started Dance Marathon at SHS in 2003. It was named the "Steve Stefani/SHS Dance Marathon" to respect the great teacher they lost. Every year the Dance Marathon at SHS raises more and more every year. In 2011, the Steve Stefani/SHS Dance Marathon raised $152,850.31. In 2012, Thon beat its record with $170,262.58. The money raised by the Thon is donated to the four diamonds foundation. The Four Diamond foundation donates this money to kids with cancer.

In December 2009, Mira Loma High School located in Sacramento, CA became the first high school on the West Coast to pioneer the Dance Marathon movement for Children's Miracle Network. At the Mira Loma Dance Marathon (MLDM), over 200 students raised five thousand two hundred and thirty eight dollars - almost all of it from individual donors - for the construction of a modern Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the UC Davis Children's Hospital, Sacramento, CA and for research on Juvenile Diabetes.

With Mira Loma High School lighting the lamp on West Coast with MLDM09, the High School Dance Marathon movement of Children's Miracle Network continues to move forward with more high schools in California and West Coast looking to organize this event for their students as an excellent project based learning tool while also giving an opportunity for their students to give back to the community and become involved in sharing and caring for the community at an early age.

References

"Souvenir Booklet: the Dance Marathon: Intriguing--Amusing--Sensational--Entertainment" copyrighted R. M. Edwards, Edico Inn, Rochester, IN (1933?)

External links

• Purdue University Dance Marathon
• University of South Carolina Dance Marathon
• Penn State Video capturing the spirit of Thon
• University of Iowa Dance Marathon
• Dance Marathon at UCLA
• University of North Florida Dance Marathon
• Mira Loma Dance Marathon
• Steve Stefani SHS Dance Marathon
• Terp Thon at University of Maryland
• University of Kentucky DanceBlue
• South High Marathon Dance