UNI Dance Marathon 2013 | Dance Marathon Event

UNI Dance Marathon 2013 was an incredible event. This is only the 2nd year that it has been put on at the university—and this school is blowing the other schools out of the water!  For those of you who do not know what Dance Marathon is, it's an event put on separately by universities throughout the country during the school year. Started in 1991, it has reached from one university to over 150 schools in the U.S.! Students fundraise for pledges from friends and family, and the money then goes to the Children's Miracle Network—where it is used to help make life in a hospital just a little bit easier while in the hospital with a child. Many of these children are facing extreme diseases, such as Leukemia, other cancers, or who are in need of transplants. Students that participate in DM do not sit for the 12 hours of the event, and are not allowed to consume caffeine! Trust me, it's difficult—I was there for the majority of the event, and even with breaks sitting with my equipment or just watching the action, I was (and am still!) sore.  I could tell you more with words, but I think I'll shush & share some images. A few words will be sprinkled throughout to explain. If you want, turn on Imagine Dragons or some other dance tunes to help you soak in the experience a little:)







beloved President Allen shared a few words.
the three amigos/MC's: Michael McAndrew, Logan Mundt, and Ian Goldsmith start off the activities.



the kids and their families walked down the "orange carpet" & made their way to the stage.


high-fiving the executive gals.

students split up into their morale groups to meet their sponsored families.

morale captains performed the "morale dance" which was then dance at the beginning of every hour. dancers learning the morale dance. each hour had a theme + the morale captains dressed accordingly. so much fun!





lunch time! Panchero's sponsored lunch + Panda Express provided dinner. lucky kids;)

besides dancing, there were rooms with all sorts of fun activities! (just no sitting!)







aaaand lots of fun musical performances! here DJ Pei and the Brazilian 2wins perform together. 

Dell and Kay Rhythmz showed off their song & dance swag!



at the beginning of each hour after the morale dance, led by freshly costumed morale captains, a family was introduced and encouraged to share their + their child's story. they were often very moving, and each family displayed their gratitude towards all the students.


then back to dancing! (zumba time! ole!) 

the last hour of the night was deemed POWER HOUR! one last hurrah before the amount fundraised was announced. it was some of the most energetic, craziest, most fun dancing I've ever witnessed!

























finally...sitting down! ready to hear some exciting news?! the goal was to raise $61,000 (10,000 more than last year!) and ended up raising $101,379.02!!!!


emotions flowed freely.




a moment of silence to reflect... and then it was over. this event was so amazing to be a part of, even from the viewpoint of a bystander. [may or may not be considering switching over to full-time dance party photographer! ;)] I am SO proud of each and every participant, and the effort they put into the fundraising, the long hours, and the day in general. it was so neat to see them come together for a common cause & help out families from our area!
if you'd like to stay current with UNI's Dance Marathon group, and maybe even get involed this next year, like their page here. I know I'm super excited to see how much they raise at DM 2014! and finally, thank you to Lottie Staggs, Amy Stoll, Rob Wirtjes and all the other executives that made me feel welcome at the Big Event this past weekend. I had no idea what I was getting myself into--but I felt instantly comfortable and had a blast!   xoxo, Amelia Renee