Dance Marathon
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Over 30 years ago, The dance marathon started as a simple dance competition on the campus of Penn State University. Today over 80 schools host dance marathons across the country raising more than $12 million per year benefiting local children's hospitals and other charities. On almost every campus where it is held, the dance marathon is the largest student-run philanthropy.
In describing the events today, "dance marathon" is a bit of a misnomer because the events are no longer focused on the dancing of the students. For 15-48 hours (depending on the event), the "dancers" stand on their feet to show support for the families and children of the event's charity and to generate awareness about the cause.
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[edit] History
In 1973, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Penn State University decided to hold its very first Dance Marathon. Penn State’s first marathon, which lasted thirty hours, was a competition in which dancers competed to raise the most money and dance the most hours. On Friday, February 2nd at 6:00PM in the HUB ballroom, Penn State’s inaugural Marathon began to the tune of "Jumping Jack Flash." Thirty-nine couples each paid $10 for a chance to win a $300 grand prize. The first Penn State Dance Marathon donated more than $2,000 to the Butler County Association of Retarded Citizens.
By 1977, Dance Marathon at Penn State lost its competitive edge, set a 48-hour length and became an annual benefit for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center. Today, the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately dubbed "THON," raises more than $4 million annually.
Due to the success of Dance Marathon at both Penn State University and Indiana University, Children's Miracle Network (CMN) developed its own Dance Marathon program to emulate the events at other university campuses. In 1995, the first year of the program, four schools raised a total of $142,000 for children treated at CMN affiliated hospitals. Six more schools were added to the program the following year, raising $300,000. In 1997, eighteen schools held Dance Marathons and generated more than $600,000. Currently there are dozens of schools participating in the CMN Dance Marathon program, incorporating tens of thousands of students on campuses of all sizes.
[edit] University Dance Marathons
[edit] Planning
While the typical Dance Marathon culminates in a one- or two-day event, Dance Marathon is a student-run organization that works year-round to put the main event together. In addition to planning for the event itself, Dance Marathon participants spend the year preceding the event fundraising, planning events for families and their children and building general community awareness.
[edit] Event
The Dance Marathon event varies in length from 14 to 48 hours. More than 700 students will stand on their feet for the entire time without sleeping. They are entertained by music, student performing groups, bands and other student volunteers.
Most Dance Marathons also have a signature line dance (also called a morale dance). The line dance is generally created for that year's event and provides a needed source of energy for students while dancing throughout the night.
In addition, most Dance Marathons have an emotional "family hour" close to the end of the event. During this time, representatives from the charity benefited by the event as well as families and children receiving support from the charity thank the students and volunteers for their efforts throughout the year.
[edit] Across the Country
According to the Children's Miracle Network, over 80 Dance Marathons take place on college campuses across the country.
| University | Charity | 1st Year (Date) | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | To Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College [1] |
Franciscan Hospital for Children | $28,000 (2003) | $73,000 | (Feb. 2007) | |
| Boston University [2] | Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Camp Heartland | $30,000 (2003) | $56,000 | (Mar. 2007) | Over $200,000 |
| Bowling Green [http://www.bgdancemarathon.com> | Mercy Children's Hospital | $38,500 (1995) | $173,610 | (Mar. 2007) | Over $1.6 million |
| University of California, Berkeley [3] | Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation | $12,500 | (May 2007) | ||
| UCLA [4] |
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Camp Heartland, Camp Kindle |
$28,000 (2002) | $268,000 | $330,000 | $984,000 |
| University of Georgia[5] |
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta | (1995) | $250,000 | $302,701.43 | $1.8 million |
| University of Florida [6] |
Shands Children’s Hospital | (1995) | $361,455 | (Mar. 2007) | $1.9 million |
| Indiana University[7] |
Riley Hospital for Children | $11,000 (1991) | $920,386 | (Nov 2007) | $4.9 million |
| University of Iowa[8] |
Children's Hospital of Iowa, UIHC [9] |
$31,000 (1994) | $686,251 | $880,903.13 (Feb 2007) | $5 million |
| Iowa State University [10] |
Children's Hospital of Iowa | $146,000 | $160,000 | $1 million+ | |
| University of Michigan[11] | C.S. Mott Hospital, William Beaumont Hospital | $35,000 (1998) | $326,000 | $351,060.07 | $2 Million |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln [12] | Children's Hospital in Omaha | $35,000(2004) | $42,000/$54,000 | (Feb. 23-24, 2007) | $100,000+ |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel HIll Dance Marathon [13] | NC Children's Hospital | $40,108 (1999) | $201,142 | $236,876.12 | $1.4 million |
| Northwestern University Dance Marathon[14] |
CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy | $9,105 (1975) | $686,377 | $708,711.20 | $7.2 million |
| The Ohio State University (BuckeyeThon)[15] |
Columbus Children's Hospital | $32,474.51 (2002) | $35,000 | $45,000 | Over $180,000 |
| Penn State Dance Marathon[16] |
The Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center | $2,000 (1973) | $4,214,748 | $5,240,385.17 | $41 million |
| Rutgers University [17] |
Institute for Children with Cancer | $113,000(1999) | $186,666 | (Apr. 2007) | $1.1 million |
| Stanford University [18] |
Partners in Health | $52,000 (2005) | $58,000 | $150,893.62 | Over $260,000 |
| University of Tennessee [19] |
East Tennessee Children's Hospital | (1995) | $77,000 | (Feb. 2007) | $770,000 |
| University of Texas [20] |
Children's Med. Ctr. of Texas | $12,000(2003) | $34,000 | (Feb. 2007) | $89,000 |
| University of South Carolina [21] |
Palmetto-Richland Children's Hospital | $83,000 | $102,000 | Over $500,000 | |
| Vanderbilt University [22] |
Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt | $112,433 | (Feb. 2007) | ||
| Washington University in St. Louis [23] |
Children's Miracle Network | $71,613.61 | $117,366.59 | ||
| SUNY Fredonia | Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) | 1971 | |||
[edit] High and Middle School Dance Marathons
High School and Middle school students are also taking place across the country. While typically shorter (6 to 12 hours), these events are similar in their purposes and structure. Many of these take place in conjunction with local University Dance Marathons across the country.
| High/Middle School | Location | 1st Year (Date) | Current Year | To Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Chatard | Indianapolis, IN | (2000) | $24,316 | |
| Bloomington North | Bloomington, IN | (2005) | $6,002 | |
| Bloomington South | Bloomington, IN | $4,100(2006) | $4,100 | |
| Brockport | Rochester, NY | (1974) 24 hours | $24,000 | $260,000 |
| Carmel H.S. | Carmel, IN | $35,028 (2006) | $58,170 (2007) | $93,198 |
| Franklin | Cedar Rapids, IA | $7,000 (Rounded) (2007) | $7,000 | |
| Southport | Southport, IN | (2003) | $5189 | |
| Springfield H.S. | Springfield, PA | $12,000(2003) | $62,000 | $153,000 |
| South Glens Falls | South Glens Falls, NY | (1978)28 Hours | $234,439.68 | $1,637,684.68 |
| Washington H.S. | Washington, IA | 2002 | $7,000 (2007) |
[edit] External Links
- Penn State Video capturing the spirit of Thon
- "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (movie - 1969)
- Marathon Dancing of the 1920's and 30's
