After being on their feet for 26 hours, dancers are spotlighted for their willingness to sacrifice their bodies for a good cause.
But an army of Dance Marathon staffers are also working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the event runs smoothly.
All 128 members of the Dance Marathon General Committee will work throughout the entire event and will most likely be awake for closer to 30 hours, including set-up and clean-up time, said Erin Ward, executive director of Dance Marathon.
Kirstie Ruppert, a third-year environmental science student, participated in Dance Marathon as a dancer in her first year. This year, she decided to contribute to the event in a different way ““ as a member of the General Committee.
“On this side of the event, you can get more involved in the entire process as a whole and experience a whole different side of things,” she said. “You really build a closer connection to the cause.”
Many of the camp ambassadors, children diagnosed with HIV who come as special guests of Dance Marathon through Project Kindle and One HeartLand, will also be up on their feet for the entire 26 hours.
Though they do not have to stand, many of them choose to do so, Ruppert said.