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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Dance-A-Thon raises $2,000 for charity

sheba performs at the 2016 dance-a-thon this saturday
sheba performs at the 2016 dance-a-thon this saturday

This past Saturday, students at the College put on their dancing shoes and boogied all night in Dartmouth’s first ever Dance-A-Thon, raising around $2,000 for WISE, the Upper Valley Haven and Project VetCare.

Students formed 18 volunteer teams of two to 12 people for the event. At any time, at least two people from each team needed to remain on the dance floor. A few hundred people attended the event throughout the night.

Five teams finished the Dance-A-Thon, meaning that they had at least two people on the floor for the entire 12 hours.

The event took place from 6 p.m. on Saturday to 6 a.m. on Sunday in Collis Common Ground, and was co-sponsored by the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council and Programming Board.

Former Panhell vice president of community and outreach Jessica Zischke ’16 said that other schools’ similar all-night dance events inspired the organizers, noting that previous Panhell members’ suggestions guided them.

Participants paid $5 to attend and could pay an additional $3 at the event to request specific songs.

Programming Board provided food, drinks and glow sticks to all participants at the Dance-A-Thon. DJs ’19, Chris Hogan ’19, Darnell Marescot ’18, Marcus Gresham ’18 and Kirby Spivey ’16 provided the music.

Many of the College’s dance troupes — including Street Soul, Raaz, Fusion, Sugarplum, SHEBA and Ujima — performed over the course of the 12-hour event.

Raaz member Sai Mupparaju ’18 said that she participated in the Dance-A-Thon because she wanted to help out the Dartmouth community and dance at the same time.

“Dancing is something we all love, so what better way to give back,” Mupparaju said.

Zischke said that the organizers of the event selected these three local charities because they wanted to focus on supporting the surrouding area. Panhell particularly wanted to help WISE continue its support of women and ensure that WISE’s existing programs have adequate funding in the future. Event organizers selected the Haven due to the organization’s strong ties to the College, as many students volunteer at the Haven every week, and Project VetCare because they believed that veterans do not receive a sufficient amount of funding from philanthropic events on campus.

The Haven, a nonprofit organization in White River Junction, provides food, clothing and shelter for Upper Valley residents in need. WISE is an advocacy and crisis center for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Project VetCare, a New Hampshire organizations, provides support to veterans and their families in the area.

During the Dance-A-Thon, volunteers stood around the dance floor and helped to direct and manage the event.

Miranda Worl ’19, one of the volunteers at the Dance-A-Thon, said that she decided to participate in the event because she likes to fundraise.

All teams received t-shirts for finishing the 12-hour event, and the team that collected the most funds was rewarded with a $250 gift card to Pine Restaurant.

All participants who finished the event were given a voucher to Skinny Pancake — a new creperie in Hanover opening on April 15 — as well as breakfast.

While the event raised about $2,000 dollars, there was no set funding target, Zischke said.

“Our main emphasis was to make it happen in the first place, build a solid basis for what will hopefully continue as a tradition in the future,” she said.

Alpha Xi Delta sorority president and team member Thuy Le ’17 said that she enjoyed participating in the event, largely because she believed that it was an event that unified the campus.

Zischke is a former member of The Dartmouth senior staff.