Auditions are never easy, but they rarely involve a man wearing a sparkly thong on the outside of tight leggings or a woman with a sheet around her neck.

But then, Dance Marathon emcee hopefuls are a rare breed.

Jake Szymanski and Anna Staloch came prepared dressed as superheroes and impressed the judges with their humorous rapport. The DM co-chairpersons named Szymanski and Staloch emcees of the annual event Wednesday night.

“They were the only group that wore costumes to their callbacks,” said Zack Hall, DM co-chairman. “I think they’re hilarious, and I think that more than anything, they’ll make the dancers laugh so hard.”

Szymanski and Staloch said the auditions, while grueling, were nevertheless amusing.

“(The judges) thought they were going to scare us,” Staloch said. “We scared them.”

Hall said Szymanski and Staloch’s dedication to DM and sense of humor set them apart from the three other couples.

“They understand what it’s all about,” said Hall, a Communication senior. “They’ve earned their stripes. When they’re up there making everyone laugh, they’ll also be able to relate to what the dancers are going through.”

The new emcees said their different personalities complement one another well.

“We work well together, but we’re not the same person,” said Szymanski, a Communication junior. “We foil well.”

“He completes me,” joked Staloch, a Weinberg senior.

The two said their connection was apparent even before they met after last year’s DM.

“We had a lot of mutual friends,” Szymanski said. “We knew of each other.”

During Spring Quarter, they approached each other after a campus show and simultaneously asked each other to audition to emcee for DM.

“We just knew we wanted to work together,” Staloch said.

Szymanski and Staloch said they were thrilled when they heard they got the gig. Hall and co-chairwoman Emily Wessel tricked the candidates into arriving for a “second callback,” where they had to read a long sheet of what they said was boring philosophy in 10-point font.

At the end of the page, the text said, “Congratulations to Jake Szymanski and Anna Staloch. You are the 2003 DM emcees.”

Szymanski and Staloch said their extensive experience with DM and other organizations prepared them for the job.

Szymanski is a film major and a head writer for Northwestern Student Television. He also has done stand-up comedy in New York and Milwaukee, his hometown.

During his freshman year, Szymanski was chosen to make a DM “Survivor” video modeled after the reality TV show. He was DM’s video coordinator his sophomore year and said working closely with last year’s emcees inspired him to apply for the job.

Staloch is in a dance ensemble, and she has danced in DM the past three years.

Both emcees said they expect their job to be exciting and challenging. Emcees must not only entertain the 500 dancers for 30 hours, but also must be prepared to deal with “dead air” if the music or video system malfunctions.

“It’s expected that something will go wrong in 30 hours,” Staloch said.

Despite the difficulties that may occur during the event, Szymanski and Staloch said they are more worried about preparing for it.

“We carry a lot more responsibility,” Szymanski said. “(The actual event) might be easier because we’ll be 10 times more pumped.”

Above all, they plan to show the dancers a good time.

“There is not reason not to get involved,” Szymanski said. “If a dancer doesn’t have a great experience, I will personally refund their money.”