Superdance
Superdance is a twelve hour danceathon held to raise money for treatment and research for children with Cystic Fibrosis. It is held annually at Bishop O'Connell High School and has raised over $4 million since 1976. Superdance is one of the largest High School fund-raising events in the United States, and until recently was the largest fund-raising event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
History
Superdance was created in 1975 by Monsignor James McMurtrie to help raise money to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, which had caused the death of Brenda O'Donnell, an O'Connell student, in 1975. Her sister, Maura O'Donnell, who also suffered from CF, helped start Superdance in her sister's honor. Maura later graduated from Bishop O'Connell and began nursing school, only to die a few weeks before her graduation of Cystic Fibrosis.
The Dance
Each year, the O'Connell senior class has attempted to top the previous year's fundraising total. The record is currently held by Superdance 2001, when $178,000 was raised prior to and the day of Superdance, with an additional $18,000 raised after the dance, totaling $196,000. The next highest total of $186,000 was raised in 2006. In 2007, the goal was to raise $200,000 in the hope of breaking the three million dollar mark for the total amount collected; that goal was met. Nearly 98% of Bishop O'Connell's students attend Superdance, and it has become a unifying event for the school. At the dance, students receive a Superdance t-shirt, which is worn during the dance, creating a sea of identically-shirted dancing students. The dance is run almost entirely by students on committees, who provide nearly all the labor. The dance is advertised on local news stations and radio stations, as well as on a website, www.superdance.org.
Fun Facts
- Each year, Superdance has a theme that is unveiled at the Superdance Assembly, which takes place every year. For 2007 the theme was "License to Cure", based on the James Bond movie. In 2008 the theme was "Turn up the Cure", in 2009 it was "Wild for the Cure", and in 2010 was is "Blast off for the Cure".
- The some key speakers at the 2007 Superdance were: Bob Ryan, a local television weatherman, Darrell Green, and the head of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
- When Superdance began, the average life expectancy for a cystic fibrosis patient was 10. In 2010, it was 37.5.
- Every Superdance ends with Piano Man.
- Guest speakers, artists, and bands appear periodically to support the event. Past Superdance guests include The Pat McGee Band (2000-2001), Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte (2001), and Mark Brunell (2008).
- In 2008, Superdance happened in two parts due to a power outage in the surrounding neighborhood. Noon-7 on March 8 and 7-midnight on March 15.
- Local weatherman Bob Ryan from NBC 4 has lent his support and mentioned the event before his weather forecast the day of the assembly for several years.
- Local bands such as The Downtown Fiction and Hotspur played at Superdance in 2009.
- A video message personally made by Ryan Seacrest was played for attendees in 2009 and 2010.