It is now past 11 p.m.
The dancers have officially been on their feet for more than 12 hours. We are almost at the halfway point, and some of the dancers are starting to feel the strain.
At any given moment, groups of dancers can be seen mingling together outside the doors to the Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Many of them, like third-year neuroscience student Derek Lee, try to stay limber by doing stretching exercises.
“Stretching helps a lot,” Lee said. “I notice that I always have more energy when I go back to the dance floor after I stretch.”
Lee is a veteran of Dance Marathon, having participated as a dancer every year he has been at UCLA. He makes sure to stretch regularly throughout the 26 hours to avoid muscle cramps and soreness the day after.
“I’ve learned from my past two years,” he said. “Stretching is really important.”
Lee also shared another trade secret: Make use of moralers.
“It’s important to have a group of friends who morale for you to help you get re-energized,” he said.
Lee said he has a friend coming as a moraler at 6 a.m. to bring him snacks because he knows he will need the early-morning boost. That’s friendship right there.