Dance Marathon concludes 18th annual fundraiser with emphasis on embrace

Drag queen Lorelei, hip-hop artist DaniLeigh and HIV awareness advocate Dontá Morrison took the stage throughout Dance Marathon.

The 18th annual fundraiser, hosted by the Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA, took place from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon in Pauley Pavilion. Speakers, student performers and musical headliners alternated their presence on the main stage as dancers aimed to stay on their feet for the full 26-hour event.

“I want to learn more specifically about pediatric AIDS and the causes that I donated to. You got to keep a positive mentality and know you’re doing it for the right reasons,” said Jake Rich, a first-year economics student, during the start of the event. “That will keep me on my feet.”

[RELATED: Enthusiasm abounds in Pauley Pavilion as Dance Marathon 2019 begins]

Awaken A Cappella’s national anthem officially marked the beginning of the lengthy stretch, during which student performers and organizations took the stage. LGBTQ student dance group Taste The Rainbow also performed Saturday afternoon, including dances to theme songs from childhood shows like “That’s So Raven,” as well as a dance to the Scissor Sister’s “Let’s Have A Kiki.” Prior to the event, Phoebe Glick, a second-year chemistry student and the club’s internal director, said Dance Marathon is special to TTR because of the LGBTQ community’s history with HIV and AIDS.

“AIDS is not necessarily a topic that people are comfortable talking about,” said Jazlyn Ocasio, an alumna and TTR’s external director. “For me, this event is a lot about visibility, being in solidarity and supporting the cause.”

Later on in the evening, UCLA’s drag queen Lorelei reeled in one of the largest crowds of the event. Accompanied by two backup dancers, Lorelei danced and lip-synced to multiple numbers on stage as well as to a Lady Gaga interview.

Advocate Dontá Morrison followed Lorelei’s set and discussed those affected by HIV and AIDS, particularly addressing black men, the demographic most affected by the virus.

“As someone living with HIV, I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your empathy, your compassion, your love and your efforts to get the message out,” Morrison said.

Slightly after 9:00 p.m., DaniLeigh, Dance Marathon’s first headliner, kicked off her set, accompanied by four energetic backup dancers. The artist evoked enthusiasm from dancers as she performed her unreleased song “Pleasure” as well as her other fast-paced tracks “No Limits” and “Lil Bebe.” In between her performances, DaniLeigh reminded students of the cause behind Dance Marathon.

“It’s really dope to see people here for a cause; that’s incredible,” she said. “You guys are out here standing for it; that’s amazing.”

[RELATED: DaniLeigh delivers Dance Marathon’s first headlining performance at 10-hour mark]

Dance Marathon’s second headliner, Lostboycrow, followed DaniLeigh’s set soon after. Lostboycrow’s band showcased its indie style, a relaxed change in pace compared to often upbeat songs played by the Dance Marathon DJ and by DaniLeigh. The artist emphasized his latest releases, as songs from his recently released album “Santa Fe” frequented the set list. He also highlighted his band’s instrumentation – specifically through guitar riffs and a focus on drumming. Fourth-year political science student Isaac Chan said he appreciated Lostboycrow’s performance and the electric-indie genre he brought to the event.

“I think it’s good to change it up. Don’t get me wrong, I love a throwback, I love hip-hop to keep you amped, but also sometimes you can’t always be going,” he said. “To slow things down a bit, it was nice.”

Performances began to subside as dancers hit the halfway mark at midnight, and things took a more solemn turn in the early morning hours. Around 3:30 a.m., alumna Kelly Gluckman took the stage, giving a speech about her experience with HIV and performing a spoken word segment. Gluckman began by explaining she was diagnosed with HIV more than eight years ago, but uses storytelling to heal and feels healthier than ever before. She said she has found a welcoming, embracing group of people through the HIV community, and hopes to focus on changing the stigma around the disease.

Students Ulani Mafate, Kevin Jang and Jason Mally were some of the last people to perform before the fundraiser wrapped up. Mafate and Jang, a second-year English student and a third-year political science student, sang and played the piano to perform medleys of Ariana Grande’s “God is a woman” and Ella Eyre’s “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off.”

Mally, a fourth-year computer science and cognitive science student, followed, performing two original songs that touched on his own experiences with mental illness. He said he wanted to break down the stigmas that often surround mental illnesses. He said Dance Marathon is about keeping an open mind despite preconceived notions, and unifying participants through understanding and empathy.

“One of the reasons that I think Dance Marathon is such an effective way to raise funds and awareness for AIDS and the transmission of (HIV) is because music is a unifying force,” Mally said. “So when people are brought together using art, it’s easy to influence and change people’s minds and hearts for these issues.”

Contributing reports from Alissa Evans, Daily Bruin reporter, Eva Kaganovsky, Daily Bruin contributor, Max Flora, Daily Bruin contributor, Brooke Cuzick, Daily Bruin contributor, Alexsandra Coltun Schneider, Daily Bruin contribuor, and Drake Gardner, Daily Bruin contributor.