Eight blocks in the books, only two to go. Dancers slowly shuffled off the floor, back into the halls, where they once again converged against walls, legs pointed towards the sky. The usual looks of tiredness painted the participants’ faces. Sarah Kong sat on a table, looking only seconds away from entering a deep, deep sleep. But the Communications Junior wasn’t as forlorn as she appeared.

“It’s not too bad,” she said. “I know it’s going to end soon.”

Kong’s secret to success, a classic saying.

“You have to fake it till you make it,” she said with a smile. “If I give it my all even when I’m tired, I’ll be fine.”

This attitude doesn’t stop her from thinking about her near future.

“I’m going to crash right after this,” Kong said.

The ominous thunder-like drum of hands against doors filled the halls, and the dancers again prepared to march into Louis Room.

But something funny happened when the dancers rushed into the room, German artist Nena’s “99 Balloons” playing from the speakers. The participants seemed excited for this block, running in, grabbing colorful glow bracelets and moving to the beat soon afterward. Dancers wore the neon accessories in a variety of ways, from necklaces to rings to elaborate alien-like antennae. Unlike the near-C-SPAN level of energy flowing through the room earlier, it was surprising to see the dancers be so enthusiastic.

Three hours separate the DM dancers and the swan song block.