A better for name for Block 4 might have been Trance Marathon.
Backed by a banner reading “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro” and the sleepy electronic music of DJ Mufasa the Philofasa (Weinberg sophomore Oluwaseun Ososami), emcees Chloe Woodhouse and Demetri Elias returned for the “Jhortz and Wizards” block each sporting jean shorts, with Woodhouse adding a wizard’s beard and a Harry Potter-themed tie.
“Guys, it’s the last block of lockdown, you better get weird,” Elias said.
After a few minutes, he decided to supply some of the weirdness himself, removing his shorts and using a pair of scissors to shorten the legs significantly, tossing the cut-off parts into the crowd.
Still, the first half of the 4 a.m. block was slow, with as many dancers standing or swaying as dancing. But a combination of public officials and songs from old favorites — Kelly Clarkson and the Backstreet Boys — as well as the upcoming promise of breakfast woke the group up in the second half.
New Jersey mayor Cory Booker, who spoke on campus in the fall, was the subject of Block 4’s celebrity video.
“Dance like there is 1,000 others watching,” Booker told the dancers.
Later, State Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), who is on the board of directors for the Danny Did Foundation, took the stage to thank the dancers.
“I want to thank you for coming out and doing all your good work,” said Kotowski, the uncle of Weinberg sophomore Luke Kotowski. “You’re almost halfway there.”
With 12 of their 30 hours completed, the dancers broke for breakfast and will return just after 7 a.m. for Block 5, “Mickey Mouse Club.”
At the end of the block, Finance announced that by Dec. 17, 2012, DM had raised $109,608.
— Joseph Diebold