It’s easy to lose track of all time during DM, a combination of the closed-blind policy, how dark Louis Room is and how out-of-touch with reality most dancers are after hours of dancing. So, every sunrise, the folks behind Dance Marathon have participants form a circle around the center of the dance floor and, as the sun chases off the night, the blinds are opened, revealing rays of light to the nocturnal-accustomed dancers.

At 6:25 this morning, LRP members headed to the the upper part of the room dragging bags of balloons that resembled candy corn behind them. The emcees instructed all dancers to form a circle on the sides of the room. The blinds shot open, revealing….not much sun, as today’s forecast looks like dreary clouds with snow flurries. The balloons poured down nonetheless, cascading down on the dance floor. As The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” played, students grabbed the egg-colored balloons, and joyously moved around, dancing with one another and forming little swaying mini-circles.

After several more minutes and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” the blinds shut, and the usual DM routine resumed. But the short, not-so-sunny diversion seemed to give the dancers second life, as they seemed more active and mobile than they were minutes earlier.

Did I mention how bad the weather is?