One of the major advantages to having Dance Marathon from noon to midnight is that many more people are able to come and visit, including children from the Franciscan Hospital. Snyder said that about 12 children would be visiting throughout the afternoon and evening. He discussed how the kids were excited to be able to come. The kids "don't get a lot of opportunity to get out of the hospital, so getting out is great for them. Plus, they've got all the activities for them," said Snyder.
Because Dance Marathon is still a relatively new event on campus, it's undergoing a lot of changes. "For the last five years we've been trying to figure out what works for the BC Dance Marathon," said Wojnar. "We're starting to really build the identity of Dance Marathon."
Wojnar hopes that the event becomes more of a tradition and that Dance Marathon has an increasingly prominent place on BC's campus in the years to come.
Guyton mentioned that BU just had its first Dance Marathon this year, an idea that it adopted from BC. "We'd like to see BC beat out BU," said Guyton.
Unfortunately, Dance Marathon has yet to provoke the kind of campus-wide involvement that it really desires. "The idea is great, but getting people here is definitely an issue," said Maddie Franzreb, A&S '09.
Commenting on the problem with getting people involved, Wojnar said, "I think it sounds like an overwhelming commitment, which intimidates people."
But she says that while the staff prepares for the event all year, other volunteers are only asked to give up 12 hours of one day.
Additionally, Wojnar thinks the experience is more than worth it. She discussed how Dance Marathon gives people the "opportunity to meet people, see performance groups on campus, and see the kids who they donate the money to." All of these things help to make Dance Marathon, "unlike any other event on campus," said Wojnar.
Not only does Dance Marathon support a much greater cause, but, throughout the evening, there's a lot more than dancing that takes place. At the event, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. Participants can busy themselves with video games, basketball, line dancing, swing dancing, Dance, Dance Revolution, and even a "kids' playground" with crafts, jump rope, hula-hoops, and more. Performances from groups such as Synergy, DOBC, Fuego, and Sexual Chocolate are given to help keep the dancers energized and to bring visitors to the event.
Spring Break
