Medill junior Scott Olstad said he’s wanted to be a Dance Marathon emcee since the fifth grade.
Communication junior Benjamin Singer set his eye on the goal even earlier.
“In kindergarten I wrote an essay saying how much I wanted to be an emcee,” Singer said. “It was mostly illustration.”
“The lines weren’t straight, he probably spelled half the words wrong,” Olstad said.
And that’s exactly why members of the DM Exec Board said they chose the two former Communications Residential College roommates as the next DM emcees: their humor.
“When you sit down in a room with these guys, you know they’re going to get people excited,” said Weinberg senior Phil Reich, DM’s executive co-chairman.
Olstad and Singer inherit the post from Todd Johnson, Medill ’08 and Adam Welton, Communication ’08. The duo, known as TnA, became a DM institution after serving as the 30-hour fundraiser’s ringmasters for four years in a row.
Their successors are well aware. Olstad has been a DM dancer for the past two years, and Singer danced his freshman year.
“It took a special kind of person to keep up the energy and passion for four years and I respect them tremendously for that,” Singer said. “They put in a lot of effort and dedication to DM and the causes it supported. It’s an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as them.”
The new emcees were introduced to the rest of the DM board at an executive session Sunday night. The duo sauntered into the Lake Room at Norris University Center to strut their stuff, Singer wearing his favorite polyester tie and Olstad wearing white shutter shades, or “Kanyes.” Members of DM then spent the next 15 minutes prodding the team to show off their comedy routine.
“What’s your favorite dance move?” asked productions co-chairman Sam Bobb, a McCormick junior.
Singer responded with a series of pumps and pivots from the *NSYNC song “It’s Gonna Be Me,” and Olstad showed off his “werewolf pops” from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Pelvic thrusts included.
“We didn’t know we’d have to dance for this job,” Singer said.
Auditions for emcees started last Monday. After two rounds, which included a series of improv games, the two juniors were chosen from a field of 10 pairs Saturday.
“I was absolutely thrilled when I found out,” Olstad said. “I knew what the responsibilities of an emcee were, but it really didn’t sink in until I found out I was one of them.”
Regardless, DM executive co-chairwoman Liz Banks said the two were partly chosen because of their DM experience.
“Having been dancers themselves, they have a great perspective on what it takes to get the crowd motivated to dance,” said Banks, a Communication senior.
Olstad said he encourages participants to avoid psyching themselves out.
“If you dread how hard it’s going to be, it’s going to be hard,” he said. “You just have to make the best of it.”
Olstad’s said he’s trying to do the same.
“I know TnA did a good job,” he said. “But we’re not going to try to be the next TnA. We’re going to be Benjamin and Scott.”
