Forgot the 30-hour dance? We asked Laura Gilbert, choreographer of the 30-hour dance and DM Dancer Relations committee member, to break it down for you so you can learn it in the comfort of your own home.

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Slept through the end of DM in a corner of the tent? Or maybe you woke up this morning and realized you couldn’t remember anything after Looney and the Tunes? Don’t contort your brain trying to recall your favorite balloon-popping dance moves. Here’s a four-minute recap of Dance Marathon’s final hours.

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As the final strains of “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” drew to a close, as the balloons settled to the floor and as the throngs of tired dancers filed out of the DM tent, members of StandUp for Kids couldn’t help but be proud.

“Wow, I’m pretty sure that’s the largest check StandUp has ever gotten,” said Tom Hayden, co-executive director of the organization’s Chicago chapter. “I just continue to be amazed with what students can accomplish. It’s incredible.”

Hayden echoed earlier remarks he gave on stage, imploring students to look into volunteer opportunities with StandUp for Kids. “We would love to have Northwestern students as volunteers in any capacity,” he said. “I really hope they learned enough about us that they would want to be involved.”

Brian Haslip, a national trainer with StandUp, agreed. He said that getting some Northwestern volunteers would help take some of the pain away from the events’ close. “Honestly, it’s sad. I got to know the DM exec board members so well,” he said. “It’s just weird that I won’t get to see them anymore.”

That combination of pride and sorrow could also be found among the event’s organizers. “The thing I love about NUDM is that it has the ability, in my humble opinion, to unite the campus in a way nothing else can,” said Finance Committee Co-Chair Allister Wenzel.

Wenzel helped to oversee Dance Marathon’s money management, a daunting task given the amount involved. This year’s event raised $854,396 overall, $461,546.73 of which went to StandUp for Kids.

“That’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears. The aggregate amount of effort that went into that number is absolutely incredible,” said Wenzel. “In a game where every dollar counts, imagine what everything we raised can do.”

The exec members all posed with the giant check emblazoned with all the money raised. After exchanging a few hugs with her colleagues, Executive Co-Chair Lauren Troy surveyed the emptying dance floor.

“The board did everything they possibly could. We worked so well all year and this was a great culminating moment,” she said.

For better or worse, it’s now time for all the organizers to wave goodbye to Dance Marathon and return to their daily lives. And what’s an exec member to do now that DM is over? “Sleep, reintroduce myself to my family, then sleep again,” said Troy. “That pretty much sums it up.”

As 2010 Dance Marathon comes to a close, the Finance Committee co-chairs Eric Hartford and Allister Wenzel announce that $854,396 was raised overall, including cash and in-kind donations.

DM gave $461,546.73 to StandUp for Kids, the primary beneficiary working to help homeless youth. DM presented the secondary beneficiary, Evanston Community Foundation, with a check for $51,282.97.

Representatives from StandUp for Kids were grateful; some were struck speechless. Tom Hayden, executive director of the Chicago chapter of StandUp for Kids, encouraged dancers to stay involved with the organization.

Members of Zeta Beta Tau and Delta Gamma celebrate their win. Photo by author.

With less than two hours left in 2010 Dance Marathon, DM Finance co-chairs Erik Hartford and Allister Wenzel presented finance awards. Delta Gamma and Zeta Beta Tau were awarded the first place fundraising award in the large group category for raising a staggering $106,357.67.

The dance floor erupted with chants and roars as members of Zeta Beta Tau and Delta Gamma jumped on stage to accept their trophy.

Communication junior and DM Corporate Relations member Maxine Hupy received a trophy for top fundraising committee member, raising a total of $1200.

“I honestly had no idea,” Hupy said. While this year is her third year participating in DM, it is the first time she was recognized individually. Her fundraising efforts were largely due to the Nutty Nutcracker production from Fall Quarter. Even though she was studying abroad in Madrid, Hupy organized the production of her ballet piece, and all the money collected went towards DM.

Eric Bertram, Weinberg senior, and Kristin Landry, McCormick senior, also were surprised to win. The pair raised $2552 and was recognized as second place winners for the top independent fundraising couple category.

“We hoped,” Betram said. Landry added, “We knew that there were only a handful that raised over $2,000.”

Raising their required minimum of $800 in one football game, the two dancers claimed that people underestimate the power of canning. Landry called the two football canning events a massive success.

Update: Correction made thanks to commenter “name.” Bertram and Landry won second place with $2552. The text originally said that Bertram and Landry won first place for top independent fundraising couple for $6,315.14.

As of 11 p.m. Saturday, Mike McGee has been up for 43 straight hours. It’s not unusual for McGee to go above and beyond what’s required of him — the Communication senior is known for being the current ASG president as well as a member of DM’s prestigious 120-hour club. After four years of steadfast involvement, McGee reflects on his past experience, challenges and rewards.

Photo by Emily Chow / NBN.

How did you first get involved with Dance Marathon?

It was the first formal student organization I got involved in, Fall Quarter freshman year. I joined [as a] dancer freshman year, and I went with my friend who I had met, and we just formed a team for that. So that was pretty much the first and only thing I was involved with Fall Quarter freshman year. It’s where I got started, where I was first officially enrolled in extracurricular activities.

What different ways have you been involved with DM?

I danced freshman year, and I definitely think that’s something every person should do at least once. I don’t think you need to dance all four years, so that wasn’t my goal, but I didn’t think that I would never dance again. I wanted to join a 30-hour committee to stay involved in Dance Marathon. With other priorities, I wanted to find a way to stay involved in DM and enjoy the weekend as well, but maybe [without] such intense fundraising. So I was a dancer freshman year, then on food committee for the next three and ad committee as a junior.

What has your favorite role been?

Definitely food committee, I’ve been on that the past three years. I took a chance on it sophomore year, had some catering experience from high school. Also, it just seemed exciting, [since] food was one of the key things you remember from DM, so that was a really cool committee I wanted to do. It’s still going the public service route, serving 1000+ people, whether it’s dancers, committee members, alumni, parents or sponsors for 30 hours. So that was a really challenging but fun aspect I wanted to explore. It’s been great, getting to interact with many different people and the opportunity to put smiles on people’s faces.

What has been most rewarding these past four years?

Definitely the people who’ve done DM once or all four years [know] the last hour is [amazing]. Also, especially the [moments] throughout with the beneficiary. It’s so easy for students to get distracted with “oh I have to fundraise all this money,” you really get detached from the actual beneficiary you’re supporting. I think DM does a really good job of focusing on giving the CEO or the director of that non-profit organization a chance to speak about their personal experiences. So really, they do as best a job as they can to connect the students with what they’re actually there for. DM is a culmination of all the hard work that they’ve done up to this point. It’s kind of a celebratory event, even though it’s touch and challenging it’s still fun. So you’ve done all this hard work over the months and here’s your reward. At the end, no matter how hard you’ve worked on preparing a menu for a thousand people or fundraising, the last hour when everyone’s together in their same DM t-shirts and see the final total come up, and you see how the beneficiaries are impacted by that. It’s really great to see their faces, after all the time put forth.

In your opinion, what’s the most challenging block?

Freshman year it was tough because you’re obviously very excited, and the DJ always plays the good music at the beginning, so you really spend a lot of energy there. It’s usually either before, after or during breakfast. Those hours in between, that’s when it really gets crazy. Also, there was one long techno music theme that felt like the same song was playing for 25 minutes straight. I was able to survive, barely, but if you can get through that, it’s really downhill from there.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen happen at DM?

2007-08, that ‘08 year of DM, we were able to raise like $933,000 and during the final block, two people passed out. I was on the food committee, and our co-chair started freaking out and made us put out water for everyone. It was good for the future, but at the time it was like ‘bam’ one goes down, a few minutes later another, so it got really serious really quick.

What was your favorite DM?

They’re all different. In a sense, the first year I did it [since] being a dancer is a different experience. The 30 hours are tough, and you’re mentally tired, physically tired, your feet hurt, everything hurts, but in the last hour all the pain goes away. Friends come an visit you, and it’s really cool. ‘08 was fun because I was on the food committee for the first time, and I was like ‘wow, being on the 30-hour committee is awesome, and I don’t want to be a dancer anymore.’ Also, being able to not dance to every song being played, like if I didn’t like the song I could leave and go work on food. This year will obviously be different, being part of the 120 hour club. It’s always a different experience each year. This year will definitely be a special moment in my life, as this is my last Dance Marathon as an undergraduate.

Has it been difficult balancing Dance Marathon with ASG?

Not really, in the sense that it’s [as difficult] as how you balance everything else. Usually it’s just how I approach a project an work on trying to stay organized. There’s always meetings that may conflict, but me and my co-chairs have known that since last year [...] , so I think it hasn’t really been that big of an issue. I think they complement each other well, but they’re different in a sense which is really cool that I’ve been able to stay in Dance Marathon. It’s been my longest in terms of organizations I’ve spent the most time in.

Now that you’re almost done for good, how do you feel?

I don’t know if I’m done for good. Dance Marathon is really something that every year alums come to their events. Past DM co-chairs, past group co-chairs for food, ads, special events. This year I’ve seen the last three to four to five years of DM leadership at Dance Marathon. Obviously, it’s the key signature event, but it’s cool to see they still care, even their parents are really involved. From that perspective, I don’t think this will be my final thing with Dance Marathon. I’m sure I’ll keep in touch.

As Dance Marathon winds down, participants have exorcised the demons of fatigue and weariness and found the will to exert the last of their energy in dramatic fashion.

“This is awesome!” Weinberg sophomore Jessy Barnes yelled as “Summer Nights” from Grease blared in the background. “I’m pretty sure I’m more excited than anyone here.”

If the cheers erupting all over the dance floor were any indication, however, Barnes has a lot of students to compete with. As the tent rocked, Communication senior Cary Shapiro surveyed the scene, nodding in bliss. “I have never felt better,” he said with confidence.

Many committee members took a break to break it down, dancing energetically after 28 hours’ worth of hard work. “It seems like a complicated thing because of all the people involved,” said Weinberg sophomore Ritu Doshi, who serves on the Dancer Relations Committee. “But it’s been phenomenal. Everything pulled together.”

That’s not to say every dancer has been unaffected by the lack of sleep. McCormick freshman Taiyo Sogawa described the experience as “hazy but awesome.” “I’ve lost track of time,” he said before howling along to Shakira’s “She Wolf.”

Still, the rehabilitating power of Block Ten is a sight to behold. Participants that had been begging for sleep mere hours ago were now dancing with gusto as if the event had just begun. It’s tough at first, “but then you move faster and it’s exhilarating and delirious,” said Barnes. “Best night of my life.”

DM Finance co-chairs Erik Hartford and Allister Wenzel came on stage at 11:40 p.m. to present DG/ZBT with the first place fundraising award in the large group category for raising $106,357.67.

The rest of the awards and amounts raised are listed below.

Top fundraising committee members:
First place: Maxine Hupy (Corp) – $1,200.00
Second place: Grace Chang (Food) – $1000.00
Third place: Dallas Swift (DR) – $972.00

Top independent fundraising couples:
First place: Jeff Weishaar and Bryan Stenson – $6,315.14
Second Place: Eric Bertram and Kristin Landry – $2,552.00
Third place: Brandon Zaharoff and Kolby White – $2,350.00

Small Groups:
First place: TriDelt/SAE – $11,703.31
Second place: Jones – $8,429.22
Third place: SigEp/Theta – $8,073.55

Mid-Sized Groups:
First place: Gamma Phi/Beta – $18,034.35
Second place: Alpha Phi/Sigma Chi – $17,864.40
Third place: NUMB – $14,764.18

Large Groups:
First place: DG/ZBT – $106,357.67
Second place: KKG/Pike – $28,088.81
Third place: Willard – $27,189.03

AJ Aguado and Liza Horbar, co-chairs of the DM Special Events committee, presented DG/ZBT with the first place award in the newly instituted Spirit Competition.

Aguado and Horbar began their presentation by explaining the Spirit Competition as “an attempt to recognize all the dancer teams that not only poured in energy and work into fundraising but also into attending all of our events.”

DG/ZBT won first place, attending more events than “we could have ever expected,” said Horbar.

Gamma Phi Beta and Beta Theta Pi won second place, while Phi Delta Theta and Kappa Delta placed third.

A few of the highlights from the Tweets tagged #NUDM:

Antisamitism:#nudm combines the excitement of prom with the animalistic depravity of the Bataan death march. Props to the participants.

Shaunacysays: My roommate punched me in the face at #nudm

Hthugz:: I’m working at Pick and #NUDM is making the whole building vibrate.

kaitischarmed: Naked women and raised feet abound in the women’s changing room. Quote of the hour: “Oh, I haven’t worn this skirt since it fit me.” #NUDM

danielcarlyon: On the one hand, we have it harder than the dancers because we have to be running the light board. On the other hand, we get to sleep. #NUDM

yayitsrob: My roommate’s phone call woke me up: “Dude. Dude. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And can you bring my red short shorts? #nudm

NickCastele: So we’re honoring artists who died too young this block. Waiting on songs by JFK, Roberto Clemente and Jesus. #NUDM

NolanFeeney: Wheat Thins are the crack cocaine of #NUDM.

denaedae:I was proud when, upon visiting #NUDM, my roommate asked if I was up for The Keg later. I guess 30 hours of dancing isn’t enough for her lol

10:00 p.m.: Dancers are entering the tent in their brand spankin’ new “final block” t-shirts. Productions committee is lining the entrance in excitement No music preview for this block — anything goes.

10:08 p.m.: People seem psyched. Cameras are out, dancers are running around, lights are flashing. It’s a sea of white shirts and happy (but tired) people.

10:12 p.m.: “You’ve got three hours to do it for the kids.” Let’s do this.

10:14 p.m.: The entire building is bouncing with the bass line. You can feel the excitement. Just a little more than two hours until we know the final total.

10:16 p.m.: Food committee will be bringing around popsicles as dancers groove and sing along to the Spice Girls. This is living the dream.

10:20 p.m.: Girls are “cowboy’ing” on the dance floor, if that means anything to you. It’s the only way to dance to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big Rich.

10:32 p.m.: Celeb video starring my second favorite Chicago hip-hop star (um, Kanye for the win, duh), Lupe Fiasco.

10:33 p.m.: Time for the final dancing of the 30-hour dance. This song is incredibly catchy, especially when they do the counting.

10:45 p.m.: Didn’t they play “Single Ladies” already? I distinctly remember a girl dancing on the stage.

10:55 p.m.: “She-wolf” by Shakira is the only song I’ve ever heard of that involves the word “lycanthropy.” That’s my only observation for the moment; people are having a blast on the floor, the tent is packed and things are moving smoothly.

11:00 p.m.: “Summer lovin’” from Grease. Gotta love songs from a musical in which the moral is “change everything about yourself to be cool and get the boy.”

11:07 p.m.: Kareoke time, with “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. Dancers will survive. Less than two hours left!

11:22 p.m.: Productions committee recognition. I like productions committee, even though I gave them lots of crap throughout the event. They rock.

11:39 p.m.: DG/ZBT won the spirit competition awards. Gamma Phi/Beta won second, with Phi Delt/Kappa Delta taking third. No surprises there.

11:52 p.m.: Finance awards time. DG/ZBT takes first place, raising $106,357.67. Hot damn.

11:53 p.m.: The 120-hour club takes the stage and dance to “Stacy’s Mom.”

12:28 a.m.: DM exec gets on stage to give thanks to dancers, Norris staff, their CSI advisor, Evanston Community Foundation and StandUp for Kids.

12:31 a.m.: Ryan and Lauren are thanking their parents and friends — it’s pretty cute, actually.

12:34 a.m.: Final fundraising total: $854,396. Not as much as last year or the year before — by a long shot — but no one seems sad. Balloons are everywhere, people are hugging, the executive board is hugging and crying.

12:37 a.m.: Some quick calculations, for you math geeks: DG/ZBT raised a smidgen over 12 percent of the final total. Absolutely nuts.

12:44 a.m.: DM gave $461,546.73 to StandUp for Kids and $51,282 to the Evanston Community Foundation.

12:57 a.m.: One last “I say D, you say M” chant, just for old times sake.

12:59 a.m., 10 seconds left: It’s been fun. Let’s get outta here.

1:00 a.m.: Congrats, dancers. Congrats DM exec. Thanks for following NBN. Email us your pictures to editor@northbynorthwestern.com and we’ll add them to our dancer-submitted slideshow. Get some rest and have a great Sunday!

Lights dimmed down low tonight in the Louis Room where six a cappella groups performed to raise money for Dance Marathon.

Purple Haze, Significant Others, Treblemakers, The Undertones, Extreme Measures and X-Factors all came together in a show organized by Weinberg junior Sarah Pierz. The show began at 7 p.m. with 26 people in attendance, according to SESP junior Pei Chen, an alumni and university relations committee member. While tickets were $7 per person, many of the attendees donated far above and beyond the entrance fee.

Karen and Ernie Pierz naturally came because “[their] daughter organized the event,” but were also enjoying the different performance groups.

“Of course, we wanted to hear all the a cappella singers,” Karen said. “We get the chance to hear a good variety [here].”

SESP sophomore Kirstin Nordhaus came to support her roommate, a member of Significant Others.

“I’m a fan of a cappella, so that’ll be really fun and cool,” said Nordhaus. “And [it's cool] just to get to see a different aspect of DM.”

The show was divided into two halves, with a short intermission after the Treblemakers performance. The crowd was filled with friends and families, eager to support the singers as well as a good cause. From Beyoncé-inspired ballads to a choreographed performance of “Bad Romance,” each group showed off their vocal skills and unique flair for a cappella.

The finance committee came on stage at 9:36 p.m. to announce that as of a week before DM, dancers had raised $346,644.

Stay tuned for the final fundraising total coming to you at around 12:30 a.m.