Students flooded the Student Union for 12 hours Friday night during the Stay Up UB dance marathon, hosted by the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement to benefit UNICEF.
The marathon, which lasted from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., began with a performance of "One Night Only" by UB's marching band, Thunder of the East. Students were slow to move onto the dance floor, but when "Bootylicious" by Beyonce was played, crowd participation drastically increased.
"I thought the band was really good, and it was a great way to kick off the night," said Liz Czapski, junior biology major.
Themed dance hours matched to music included line dancing, 1980s, and salsa dancing. Students were also able to request songs by purchasing raffle tickets.
Students also enjoyed many other activities during the event including: poker, pillow making, board games, Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. Poker was a favorite for many in attendance.
"Mainly, (I) like all the side events. A couple of us are big into poker and Guitar Hero," said Richard Siegel, sophomore business major. "It's a good way to hang out with other organizations."
There were several group dance lessons throughout the night taught by UB Step Troupe, Hip Hop SA, and the Swing Dance Club. There was also belly dancing and swing dancing lessons.
"Me and my friends did belly dancing, line dancing and swing dancing," said Ashley Byrd, sophomore psychology major.
There were also dance competitions every three hours. Judges walked through the crowd and gave points to determine the best individual and team dancers as well as for the dancer with the most enthusiasm, the best novice dancer and the best at limbo. Dance-offs for "Crank dat Soulja Boy" and "The Electric Slide" were crowd favorites.
UB's a capella groups, the Royal Pitches and the Buffalo Chips, also sang renditions to many popular songs such as "Who Knew" by Pink and "What Goes Around" by Justin Timberlake.
According to John Sullivan, a senior political science and music major and member of the Buffalo Chips, events like the 12-hour dance marathon allow groups like his to achieve a little exposure, as well as get involved in university-wide activities.
"People seem to be having a lot of fun, but I'm surprised that there isn't a better place on campus to have a dance like this," Sullivan said.
According to Andrea Constantino, the director of Student Life, the event was mostly funded by the offices of Student Life, with a little help from sponsors.
Students were well fed with a variety of foods from popular venders. Coldstone Creamery provided ice cream while Starbucks and Red Bull were on hand for students who needed caffeine fix. Santoras provided pizza to the famished, and Campus Dining and Shops served a Continental breakfast for those who braved the 12 hours.
Samantha Bundy, a freshman visual studies major, was impressed by items given to participants, including a t-shirt and slippers in a goody bag.
One of the problems students faced was trying to stay awake for the entire event. Czapski said she began to get tired around 1 a.m.
"I left around three and there was still a good amount of people left on the dance floor," she said.
Aditi Bhardwaj, a senior political science and communications major, was a volunteer and also registered to participate after her volunteer duties were finished later in the evening. She hoped that even more participants would show up and bring a little more energy to the crowd.
"I think it's a great way to keep busy on a Friday night, especially without drinking," she said. "I wish more people would come to things like this. It seems like a great event for UB morale and spirit."
According to Terri Frysh, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement, about 180 people registered for the event. Students could also register at the door since there was no set deadline.
"We wanted to plan something that groups at UB could get involved with, and we knew dance marathons have been successful in other institutions," Frysh said. "We (had) registration from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. We (didn't) turn people away."
Stay-Up UB is a fundraiser that works in conjunction with the UB Cares Fund, which raises money each year to give to a charity. This year's beneficiary is the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF). According to Frysh, UB Cares has a target goal to raise $10,000 for the charity.
Frysh added that the Leadership Center wanted to take the fundraising contributions to make a positive financial impact on the community and plans to make Stay-Up UB a yearly tradition.
"We're attempting to make this a UB tradition," Frysh said. "Expect something bigger and better for next year."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
