Riley Revolution

Beads of sweat dripped down senior Shannon Mickels' head and neck while his fast-flying footwork moved to the beat of the glowing blue and pink arrows below him. With the bass thumping and lights flashing, his eyes intently focus in on the arcade game screen. Twenty of his peers surround him, and he owns the game -- they all do. They've communed at Lazerlite, with sweaty shirts from practice, fancy footsteps of rehearsed routines and pre-made costumes -- and they're doing it all for charity.\nPeople ranging from junior-high to college age came together for the third "Dance Dance Revolution" charity event. Profits from the event went to the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Jim Halliday, vice president of information technology at the Music Library, has organized the event the past three times.\n"We've still got some additional T-shirt sales, but it looks like our total will be somewhere greater than $2,000," Halliday said. "We're just thrilled. I had two kids who were at Riley's and they were wonderful to us, so it just seemed like a natural choice."\nThe event took place Friday and Saturday, where for $10 anyone could play unlimited "DDR." Fanatics from Bloomington and IU flocked to Lazerlite at the chance to show off their skills, have a good time and support an excellent cause. The days featured a variety tournament where nine teams of three to five people competed.\nOther events included a freestyle event where people performed rehearsed routines and a technical tournament where players competed in the number of combinations and how well they did at the game.\n"I've come to two of the 'DDR' events and I've been playing for a year and a half," said senior Paul Quinby. "The event's gotten a lot of good hype, especially because people know Jim works hard to run his events well. I think it's really amazing they're doing it to raise money for Riley's."\n"DDR" enthusiasts battled each other throughout the day in practices before the tournaments. While scoping out their competition, some practiced on the side on their laptops. With headphones on, and in the zone, some used their keyboards to practice their timing before taking it to the game.\n"It was almost like a big party, the atmosphere was very laid back and friendly," said Halliday. "The "DDR" scene is very competitive, due to that nature and that we were raising money everyone was really excited. I even heard several people say 'I don't care if our team wins,' because they were having such a great time."\nAs some of the players sat at tables and watched their friends battle out with others, they could be found tapping along to the movements.\nAs 19-year-old Jason Rose stepped onto the "DDR" platform he cracked his neck from side to side and got ready to psych himself up. The game began and he racked up combination after combination. The sweat through his shirt began to show, and his intense expression lit up as his body moved effortlessly to the beat. When the game was over, he let a sigh from his fast-paced moves and smiled.\n"A lot of people call 'DDR' karaoke with your feet," he said. "It's timing with your feet. It's all about the timing -- lucky for me, you don't have to be able to dance to do well."\n-- Contact staff writer Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.