Dancing for a cause

By Marcy Miranda

The Louis Room on the second floor of the Norris University Center stands transformed. As students walk into the room, a giant screen hangs from the wall and hundreds of smiling faces, laughing and dancing erupt from the screen. A multitude of students fill the room, singing, jumping and moving to the high-energy, fast-paced beats streaming from the two speakers surrounding the screen. On any other day, an event of this sort would be unusual, but today’s event has been anticipated for over six months.

Dance Marathon has begun.

In its 32nd year, DM is Northwestern University’s largest student-run philanthropy. Each year, hundreds of NU students dance nonstop for 30 hours in order to raise money for a different beneficiary. This year’s primary beneficiary, Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative, is an organization whose mission it is to decrease the number of cases of mother-to-child infection of HIV and AIDS.

Ten percent of the total amount raised by DM will go to a second beneficiary, the Evanston Community Foundation, which awards grants and offers financial support to growing organizations that promote community growth in Evanston. While DM officials won't know how much much money they've raised until after the event, since funds will come in throughout the weekend, last year they raised more than $600,000.

The 600 NU students participating this year break up the 30 hours of dancing into 10 blocks of three hours, each with a theme. Dancers are encouraged to wear costumes and dress up accordingly, as music fitting the theme is played.

The first theme, Fabulous life of…, encourages dancers to dress like a celebrity. Other themes include Around the World, Guilty Pleasure, Happy Days and A/X Beach Party.

Despite the varying levels of previous experience with DM, dancers agreed that participation in the event was worthwhile.

Allison Schmitt, a SESP senior, has participated in DM for three years. She has continued to dance because of the satisfaction she obtains from the outcome of DM, and because her experiences have been positive, she said.

“This is one of the most worthwhile things you can do here,” Schmitt said. “It’s a one-of-a kind type of thing.”

Dancing for their first year, Brian Levin and Karan Desai, both Weinberg freshmen, said their expectations for DM were exceeded within the first three hours.

“It (the event) was much more lively than I had expected,” Levin said. He added that the preparations that had gone into the event were worthwhile.

Desai said he was inspired by the speaker from Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative, who addressed the crowd regarding the problem of pediatric AIDS during the first block and shared one of her experiences with a mother of two living with AIDS.

“Hearing the speaker made our reason for being here worth it,” Desai said.

Photo: Paulina Orkisz signs in for Dance Marathon on Friday. By Katie Maley.