Dance marathon
[4] According to Professor Carol Martin of New York University, the revival of the Olympic Games created a widespread interest in feats of strength, endurance contests, and world records that led to dance marathons.
[2] On February 18, 1923, Olie Finnerty and Edgar Van Ollefin set a record by dancing seven hours without stopping in Sunderland, England.
[2] They provided contestants and spectators food, shelter and the opportunity to earn cash prizes at a time when many people needed a free meal.
"[3][8][page needed] According to Martin, nearly every American city of 50,000 people or more hosted at least one endurance dance marathon at the peak of the craze.
Though promoters made less money in smaller towns, they looked for a place where a large crowd could fit in for the dance marathon, and the local community helped advertise.
[11] "Cot Nights," in which the beds from the rest areas were pulled out into public view so the audience could watch the contestants even during their brief private moments, were popular.
[2] To encourage lagging couples to continue moving, the floor judge sometimes used a ruler to flick the legs of contestants who were not shuffling with sufficient alacrity.
[2] In her first autobiography, June Havoc described how the contestants shaved onstage, wrote letters, washed themselves, ate while keeping their feet moving, and even had sex under blankets on the dance floor.
[10][12] During the Great Depression, many Americans dealing with lost jobs stayed home watching dance marathons that often lasted for weeks or months.
Marathons took on an almost theatrical role for spectators, who gained a sadistic sense of pleasure from watching the participants physically suffer.
[2] In 1928, Gladys Lenz danced for 19 straight hours at a Seattle marathon despite being punched in the face by a partner who appeared to be suffering from fatigue-induced psychosis.
[2] A headstone in the Showmen’s Rest section of Minneapolis’s Lakewood Cemetery reads: "DeVillier, World Champion Marathon Dancer 3,780 continuous hours.
[5] Today, over 250 colleges and high schools nationwide participate in dance marathons of some sort to raise money for children's hospitals.
[14] Each year, students organize and host different types of dance marathon events in which participants stand on their feet for 12–46 hours straight.
[19] The money raised is donated to the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to defeating pediatric cancer through research and treats patients at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center Children's Hospital.
Founded in 1975, Northwestern University Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as NUDM, is one of the nation's largest student-run philanthropies.
The event unites more than 1,500 students, faculty, and staff to participate in the 30-hour dance-a-thon at the end of the winter quarter in early March.
With 1,000 dancers and over 500 committee members who work throughout the year to help organize the event and raise awareness, NUDM is a Northwestern tradition.
In 1991, student Jill Stewart started IU Dance Marathon in honor of her friend, Ryan White, who died from AIDS the year before.
[24] After a ten-year, $5 million leadership gift to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital's building campaign, the 11th floor was named the UI Dance Marathon Pediatric Cancer Center.
Since then, the student-run group has donated over $2.2 million to create the UI Dance Marathon Pediatric Oncology Targeted Therapy Program and $2 million to establish the first student-funded chair position at the University of Iowa, the UI Dance Marathon Chair in Pediatric Oncology, Clinical and Translational Research.
