It will be a life changing experience
I first heard about the Dance Marathon from my older sister who participated in it for her four years of college. I had heard her talk about how incredible it was but I had no idea just how amazing it would be. At Boise State, we have a seventeen-hour dance marathon. Throughout the night there were times when it was hard to keep dancing. My freshman year I went into the dance marathon not planning on staying the whole time. However, when I got there I changed my mind. The environment within the DM was so fun and friendly that I wanted to stay all night. By the end of the seventeen hours, I was so exhausted and overcome with emotion that I didn't want to leave. The first dance marathon I participated in was one of the most incredible nights of my life.
It's exhausting, but in the best way possible
Our dance marathon takes place from 3 p.m to 8 a.m. Seventeen hours seems like a long time to dance, and I won't lie, it is. During those seventeen hours in both my first and second year of dancing, I found myself losing motivation when it reached around 3 a.m. My motivation was quickly returned when I looked around at all the other dancers and thought about those who could not be there dancing with us. I have the ability to dance for the kids and so I do. There are so many people there to help you keep your spirits up and push you to stay on your feet. By the time the morning came and it was all over, after being awake for more than twenty-four hours I was exhausted, but that exhaustion was nothing compared to the overwhelming joy I felt. It is completely worth it.
You will meet many incredible people
For my freshman year, I went into the dance marathon with a group of friends. That was not the case my second year. My second year I went in by myself. It was a little discouraging at first looking around and seeing everyone dancing with their group of friends, something that I didn't have. That soon changed when I found some people on my team who invited me into their circle. Those girls changed the entire night for me. They were the ones who kept me dancing when I was so tired that I thought I would collapse. We danced with each other all night laughing and crying together. They helped make my sophomore year dance marathon so incredible. It was not only those girls who were so incredible, but every single person there was so incredible just for being there and dancing for the kids. It is an incredible place for you to meet some of the most amazing people at your school.
It's for a good cause
If you don't know much about dance marathon here's a basic rundown. All year long there is an amazing group of people working tirelessly to make the event run as smoothly as possible. There are also hundreds of people fundraising for the event. Every single penny raised for the dance marathon goes directly to the kids in the Children's Miracle Network hospitals. The money that is raised helps kids and families from all walks of life get the medical attention they need. Many of the children that we sponsor suffer from life-threatening diseases. The hospital bills are outrageous and with the help of the dance marathon and all of the miracle makers, we are able to help give these families a little bit of hope. By participating in the dance marathon you are able to help so many people and being apart of something so big is truly a blessing.
The miracle kids will make it all worth it
For the first few hours of the dance marathon are my favorite hours. This is the time that the miracle kids and families are there dancing alongside you. It's something these kids look forward to all year. The smiles on their faces make every minute of it worth it. Not only that but you will get to hear the stories of the kids you are dancing for. It is such an emotional time listening to the stories of those kids who are with you at the event and those who are no longer dancing with us. If I had to pick one reason that you should join the dance marathon it is seeing the smiles on the kid's faces.
You'll find your "why"
When you join the dance marathon, a question you get asked a lot is, "Why are you dancing?" The reason people dance is referred to as their "why." This is different for everyone else and can grow and change over time. For me, my why is simply because I can. I am lucky enough to be healthy and I can dance, so why shouldn't I? No child should dance alone. For many people, their "why" is something personal. They may know someone in a CMN hospital that may or may not have made it. For me, figuring out my "why" is something very exciting. Each time I dance, I can feel my why growing more and more.
The reveal at the end of the night
Reagan Kulka
After seventeen hours of dancing, and months of fundraising we get the big reveal. This is when all of the money that has been raised has been totaled and finally revealed. Seeing those numbers no matter how much money it is is something truly special. It's the perfect way to end the night. When those numbers are shown the entire event erupts into a waterfall of emotion. You can look around and see smiles, tears, hugs, and so much more. The reveal is one of the things that makes those long hours of dancing completely worth it. After the reveal, after seeing how much money we have raised, it makes you not want to go home. It makes you want to stay and dance forever, but most of all, it makes you want to work harder next year to raise more money than the year before.
