Dance marathon kicks off tonight

Tonight the HPER gymnasium will host one of IU's largest philanthropic events, the IU Dance Marathon. Six hundred IU students will give up 36 hours and two nights of sleep to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. \nThe 12th annual Dance Marathon begins at 8 p.m. and continues until 8 a.m. Sunday. The theme for this year's Dance Marathon is "Believing in the Gift of Tomorrow." Participants will dance, listen to bands, play basketball, eat, learn a line dance and play with the Riley kids who attend. Morale committee members will be on hand throughout the event to encourage the participants and keep them awake.\n"All of the dancers are doing an incredible thing by volunteering their time and energy, and as long as they come in ready to have fun, I guarantee everyone will have a blast," said junior J.R. Reisinger, director of morale.\nParticipants of Dance Marathon raise money through pledges before the actual event. The top 600 fundraisers are chosen to participate as dancers. The dancers are required to participate for the entire 36 hours of Dance Marathon. Those who were not chosen to participate as dancers become mass members. Mass members come to the HPER for a few hours during the event. Senior Allison Morgan, Dance Marathon president, expects 60 to 70 mass members this year. \nVisitors are allowed to come and support the participants throughout the marathon. Morgan said many people who visit are surprised at everything Dance Marathon entails.\n"Visitors are the people that keep you going," said junior Caitlin Blewett, a second year dancer.\nDance Marathon has raised over $1.5 million since 1991. Each year the event has raised more money than the year before. Last year, Dance Marathon raised $402,324 for Riley Hospital. \nDance Marathon began when IU student, Jill Stewart, lost her friend, Ryan White, to AIDS. Stewart wanted to carry on White's name and cause. After hearing about Penn State University's 48-hour Dance Marathon, Stewart and 12 other people came together to create the first ever IU Dance Marathon in 1991. All the money that the marathon raised would be given to Riley Hospital to build the Ryan White Infectious Disease Center.\nRiley Hospital is one of the largest children's hospitals in the nation. Approximately 7,500 in-patients and 120,000 out-patients visit the hospital each year. The Ryan White Infectious Disease Center was built entirely on funds from IU Dance Marathon. \n"We are raising the money, and Riley is trying to treat the diseases to give these kids a tomorrow," Morgan said.\nSince December, 13 committees, including morale, entertainment and fundraising, have been working to help put this event together. \n"For me, I get about a one month break a year, but my entire committee works non-stop for eight straight months to put on the coolest event on IU's campus," Reisinger said.\nMorgan said this year's Dance Marathon will be bigger and better than past Marathons. Fourteen bands including Straight No Chaser, The Leonards and Three Minute Mile will perform during the 36-hour event. She expects more participation in every aspect of the event. \n"We stepped it up from last year," Morgan said.