Bruins, celebrities shake it up for charity at UCLA Dance Marathon
By Siddarth Puri
March 2, 2003 9:00 p.m.
The strobe lights set the mood. The music blares in the
background. Hot, sweaty bodies turning, bending and dipping engulf
the dance floor. Filled with celebrities and some of the hottest
moves around, you’d think it was the site of the hippest pop
culture haven in Los Angeles rather than Covel Commons.
While the cause of this weekend’s UCLA Dance Marathon was
strictly charitable (raising money for the Elizabeth Glaser
Pediatric AIDS Foundation), these dancers didn’t look like
your typical do-gooders, but more like professional booty-shakers
straight out of “Britney Spears: Making the Video.”
This 26-hour-long dancing session was like a club that never
closed, filled with everything from spandex-wearing moralers
(people who cheer on the dancers) to celebrity guests.
Walking into the dance area, viewers were lured onto the dance
floor by the pure intensity of the seemingly tireless dancers.
Going on their eighth consecutive hour of dancing, they were still
fresh, awake and dancing like no one was watching. From
booty-shaking and head-rolling moves, to the ’80s styling of
the running man and the obligatory robot dance, when the dancing
wasn’t hip it was at least fun to watch.
“I was nervous about not being able to dance for this
long,” said Rucha Gadgil, a second-year physiological
sciences student and avid dancer. “But when you’re
surrounded by these energetic people, you’re on an adrenaline
high and you can’t help but dance.”
Energizing dancers with everything from Mariah Carey to Missy
Elliot and Ja-Rule to Justin Timberlake, the music of the Dance
Marathon helped keep participants from nodding off. Furthermore,
the committee had special themes going all throughout the night,
from “New Orleans,” complete with Mardi Gras beads (no
flashing required), to “Las Vegas” with glow sticks.
The themes, coupled with the friendly and supportive atmosphere,
kept the dancers awake.
The special guest appearances included celebrities like Tia and
Tamara Mowry (“Sister, Sister”) as well as Jaime
Presley, Matt Lawrence and numerous former “Real World”
and “Road Rules” cast members. To spice it up even
more, there were even some contests for the dancers, including a
booty shaking contest with frantic jiggling that would have put
even Shakira to shame.
“Dancing this long is quite an experience,” said
Tiffany Cheung, a second-year business economics student.
“Even though I’ll probably be too sore to walk
tomorrow, because the cause is so tremendously needed and pure, I
don’t mind it ““ I’ll keep doing it as long as I
know I’ll be helping people.”
