Dance Marathon this weekend!
 

Maybe this should go under philanthropy but..... I was wondering if anyone has any tips on staying up for 36 hours! Is there anything that I should be sure to pack? I am really nervous, but it should be fun. One question for past dancers (especially Iowa Hawkeye?): how do you stay up?

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!
I am sooo excited you are doing dance marathon!!!

i have a million and one tips for you -
but you don't get them until i get back from class (where i'm off to now!)


what school is having DM this weekend? I'm jealous!

I'm a moral captain assistant this year - so my main job is keeping dancers exctied and dancing :)

Well, i've never danced that long, but I've stayed up for 36 hours before. The key is mental stimulation and caffiene. If you're intrigued enough to keep thinking, it helps to stay awake. plus if a group fo you are awake, then all of you can help keep each other up.

Oh, and serve lots and lots of Mountain Dew. :D

I was a dancer captain last year and we had to stay up also (ha everyone would go in the back past the curtains and take like an hour nap. I dont know how your DM works, but for ours it was more activities then dancing so that kept people up and preoccupied. Also they had the doors open and every hour you'd learn the next step in a big line dance that was done at the end. There was no caffine or sugar allowed. What we did is got all the caffine that we could before hand. Not only did the 36 hours hurt but so did me having to work to work during the hours of the marathon ;)

Get a good night's sleep tonight if it's tomorrow, and buy gallons of Mountain Dew! You'll need it, but it's fun and worth it :)

Ok, get ready for DANCE MARATHON fun....

Before the event...
~ Get Ahead! ~ finish all your homework for the weekend, youre NOT going to want to do it after the Marathon - you'll be wanting nothing but sleep
~Power Up! ~ load up on carbs and water before the event - it will give you energy and keep you hydrated!
~ try to avoid caffine, sugar, nicotine, and alcohol as much as possible before DM - they're stimulants that bring you up, then bring you down - you don't need it!
~ try to get plenty of sleep the nights before the marathon
~ GET PSYCHED! - tell yourself you CAN and WILL finish the marathon - offer to reward yourself when youre done ~ i'm thinking either pedicure/manicure/massage

During the Event.....
* drink lots and lots of water - who cares how much you have to go to the bathroom - youre going to sweat and you need to rehydrate
* if you find yourself tired - WASH YOUR FACE - it totally wakes you up!!! and the water helps cool you down - even brush your teeth - a clean mouth is a happy one ;)
* stretch your muscles before busting a move - they will thank you later
* wear comfortable shoes - your favorite gym shoes, flip-flops, slippers even!
* get to know as many people as possible - who cares if you didn't know them before - go up to people and introduce yourself, be friendly: the more people you know, the more fun you have, the faster time goes by!
* participate in all activities - DO THE STUPID DANCES, play the games, have fun with it - who cares if you look like a fool - look around you - everyone else does too :D
* IF AT ANY MOMENT YOU FEEL THAT YOU CAN'T GO ON - REMEMBER WHO YOU'RE DOING THIS FOR: THE KIDS!!!! you're dancing for 36 hours so that these beautiful and strong children can have the chance to live a day, a week, a month, a year, a lifetime longer - they are the whole reason behind Dance Marathon and you are what makes it possible - and from one Dance Marathoner to another - YOU ARE AWESOME and I love you for doing this!


What to Bring....
- extra shoes/socks/clothes - youre going to get sweaty and hot and youre going to want to change
- toothbruch/toothpaste - use them!
- deodorant - lots of hot sweaty people in a small space screams smelly!
- cushoned insoles for you gym shoes - they will feel great
- foot lotion/aerosol foot spary - it feels sooooooo good after dancing for hours
- camera and lots of film - you'll want to remember DM
- dry snacks (crackers/granola bars/cereal) juice boxes - in case you need some engergy
- your face soap to wake you up!
- if you wear contacts, make sure to bring your eye drops and glasses in case your eyes get dry
- if you have a hand held back massager - BRING IT - you will become everyone's best friend!
- bring letters of encouragement from friends/family/BF or GF or anything special that will keep your spirits up
- and PLEASE don't wear a watch - a watched pot never boils, if you keep looking down at your wrist
a.) youre not being social and meeting people and
being involved
b.) it's going to be the longest 36 hours of your life


Above all, have fun! I'll be thinking of you this weekend - and those angels who lost their battle with cancer and are dancing in our hearts forever!

Let me know how it went!

Easy
 

Guys have to take Viagra to keep it up that long:D

Well maybe for me in the dottoring old age:)

thanks for your help~esp. Iowa Hawkeye!
 

Thanks for the tips! Dance Marathon at IU is over & the final total raised was over $400,000! I am so tired, but I wanted to thank everyone, especially Iowa Hawkeye. Good luck- you will be awesome on morale! (How is the dance coming? Ours was so much fun!) Now for more sleep...

I should have known it was IU having Dance Marathon this weekend!!! My friend Megan is an APhi there and she totally told me that like a month ago! :D

I'm glad you had fun!!! and $400,000 AWESOME!!!! I'm so proud of IU :D

Our morale dance is hilarious.... people are going to laugh their butts off when we do it for them, but oh yes, they will be doing to too by the end of the night ;):p

the overall dance is looking awesome...its going to be another record breaker for Iowa :D we have some awesome acts planned!

Hey, i see youre from Chicago, where?

good luck to Iowa Hawkeye!
 

(Btw- I am from the east part of Chicago- right on the lake.)
Well- good luck with the planning~ you will be fabulous!
Everyone I danced with and talked to (from practically EVERY organization) is all about signing up for applying for a committee or applying for morale. Interviews for exec. and council are coming up in November, I guess, so Dance Marathon is still in full swing. (I enjoyed it, but I am not going out for a position.)
I am so excited for you- I am sure you will raise tons of money and have an awesome time at it! BTW- I talked to someone on council from Purdue, and they are going to have their first one this year! I am excited for them!!! They are going to do great!

DM!
 

I want to be a dancer this year... maybe! Our DM is in the spring, so I have some time left to think about it. I think I could do it, it would just be hard. I would need my friends to come in and play with me and keep me company.

KerriMarie -

I totally encourage you to do Dance Marathon ~ it is sooo much fun and such a good cause! Does your sorority participate in it? Here all of the sororities have 30+ dancers, so there's always people you know to talk to plus all of the other greeks and non greeks alike!

Yes, my sorority participates... and I went and visited my dancers last year, and they were holding in pretty well... I think I'll do it, if they are still looking for people when I get back to school in the spring! I'll let you know, and of course keep you all updated!