The sweltering heat and 15 sleepless hours in Welsh-Ryan Arena did not tire the hundreds of dancers at Northwestern’s 51st annual Dance Marathon last weekend.
This year, NUDM raised $191,827 for Chicago HOPES for Kids, its primary and rotating beneficiary, and the Evanston Community Foundation, its permanent beneficiary. That figure accounts for just half of last year’s $342,138.
Since 1975, NUDM has been one of the largest independent philanthropic student-run organizations in the nation. In total, it has raised over $23 million for more than 45 different beneficiaries.
The 15-hour marathon started at 6 p.m. Friday and ended Saturday at 9 a.m. It was split into five different blocks with different themes which included portions of dancing, games and student performances. The three blocks from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. were the “lockdown blocks,” when dancers could leave, but no visitors were allowed.
NUDM featured guest performers such as NU’s premier Jewish a cappella group, ShireiNU, NU’s Marching Band, NU Drumline and the band Absolutely No Drinks.
Weinberg junior and NUDM Communications Director Tsion Carnielli estimated that about 600 dancers registered and said she was happy with the turnout.
“Something that I really find super important about the Dance Marathon is that it can shed light on some organizations that people don’t know about, like Chicago HOPES for Kids,” Carnielli said. “I’m really proud of the people that stayed, and obviously I’m really proud of the board.”
She added that her favorite part of the night was the annual dance performance by NU alumnus and event photographer Justin Barbin (Communication ‘11) to the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
Communication freshman and Moorea Lambert said after encouragement from her friends and learning more about NUDM and its primary beneficiary, she decided to register a day before the event.
“(HOPES) seems like a really well-run and valuable organization, so I thought it’d be a good thing to support,” Lambert said, before the lockdown blocks. “It’s been fun so far. (The Dance Marathon) is a cool way to interact with people from different groups.”
HOPES provides support to Chicago Public Schools students and families experiencing homelessness. Nearly 18,000 CPS students do not have a stable place to live, according to the University of Chicago Urban Labs.
“Thank you guys so much for what you guys did the past 14 hours,” HOPES liaison for NUDM Kimberly King said in a speech Saturday morning at the event. “It’s because of your guys’ support that we are able to continue our work, provide staffing, have materials, do field trips and just (continue) to support our kiddos on the West, South and North sides.”
McCormick freshman and dancer Ava Romero stayed the entire 15 hours and said they would do it again next year.
Romero added they advise future NUDM participants to come with friends or make friends at the marathon to be more motivated to stay for the entire time and to stay awake. Romero added that participants should take a nap before to stay energized.
“I feel very accomplished, especially after hearing how much money they raised,” Romero said.
Email: ridhimakodali2027@u.northwestern.edu
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