Preparations for first UNI Dance Marathon pick up steam

The first Dance Marathon at the University of Northern Iowa is less than three weeks away. Everything is just about set, but the group's leaders have a problem: they need more testosterone.

    "We currently have – this is probably an exaggeration, but five guys signed up as dancers, and we have about 340 dancers," said Chelsea Hartman, the director of public relations for UNI Dance Marathon. "Telling them that 340 girls are going to be there doesn't work, apparently."

    The group held a dodgeball tournament Jan. 28 to raise funds and bring in more participants, male and female. Director of Fundraising Jenna Rockweiler said five teams participated for a total of 30 people.

    "Overall, I think everyone had a good time and it was a really simple fundraiser," said Rockweiler, a sophomore business management major.

    The directors of UNI Dance Marathon have been preparing for the big event on Saturday, Feb. 25 for nearly a year. Although the 12-hour event they're putting together (which will be an annual occurrence) is centered around music and dancing, Hartman hopes everyone knows "the dancing is not enforced."

    "You don't have to dance the whole 12 hours, and there's going to be a lot of other things going on," explained Hartman, a senior leisure, youth and human services major.

    Dance Marathon will take over Maucker Union from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. The main floor of the coffee house will serve as the dance floor, with a stage in one corner. Students can make crafts near Essentials and play games in the Hemisphere Lounge. In the basement, attendees can play laser tag, and there may also be a "bouncy house" and a "Best Buy room" with TVs and video games. Food will be available in the Center for Multicultural Education.

    The night will also be punctuated by reminders of the true purpose of Dance Marathon: to raise money for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and the Children's Miracle Network. As Rockweiler puts it, it's "for the kids."

    Each hour, families with children who have been treated at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital will take the stage to share their stories. The music and dancing will pump up for the final "power hour," when everyone will be encouraged to dance and the organizers will hit the blacklights for a rave-like atmosphere.

    At midnight, members of the UNI Dance Marathon student group will announce the total amount of money the participants raised. That figure is under wraps, a secret even to most members of the group's board of directors since New Year's.

    Students can register for the event online at www.unidancemarathon.com or in the Student Involvement and Activities Center in the upper level of Maucker Union. Students may also register on the day of the event, although Rockweiler encourages participants to sign up earlier so they can fundraise the suggested $50 in advance.

For the $12 registration fee, participants get two meals, a t-shirt, and "all the free entertainment you could ask for," said Hartman.

Hartman encourages students to check out Dance Marathon because it is "a life-changing experience" that has to be experienced to be completely understood.

"I didn't know what Dance Marathon was until I got involved with it, and it's not really anything you can explain. You kind of just have to go to one," she said.