Bring Me That Horizon

By Nitesh Srivastava

Shortly after 6 a.m., the atmosphere in the Louis Room began to change as dancers anticipated sunrise. People formed small circles in preparation for the event, but when there was no announcement they dissolved back into the crowd. Some dancers pulled back the curtains on a few windows, but Dance Marathon coordinators closed them again.

Finally, everyone gathered into a giant circle as golden lights washed over the room and orange and yellow balloons dropped down. "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles began playing, and the curtains were pulled back to reveal...

... a cloudy gray morning, with only a stark red horizon line giving away the dawn.

The lack of a dramatic sunrise did not seem to bother the crowd much. They sang and played with the balloons with child-like fervor. However, fatigue from the night of continuous dancing was visibly beginning to set in.

"Morale is pretty low in the camp," joked Weinberg junior Grace Yeh. "I can tell you it's smelling pretty bad up in the front."

A few songs later, the music stopped and dancers were led in yoga stretches. There was a collective moan from the crowd as they all reached for the sky and then their toes.

Dancers then began to deviate from the routine to do their own stretches or simply sit on the ground. But they were ushered back up quickly, not altogether inappropriately, by the Temptations' "Lean on Me."