Nearly 1,000 Northwestern undergraduate students will trade a weekend of studying for 30 hours of dancing at Dance Marathon 2022. Sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and forced to transition to an all-virtual format in 2021, Dance Marathon is back, in-person and kicking off at 7 p.m. Friday, March 4, and continuing until 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 6.
Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM), one of the largest student-run philanthropic efforts in the country, raises money yearly for two local nonprofit organizations. NUDM selected Chicago Youth Programs as its primary beneficiary in the spring of 2021. CYP strives to improve the life opportunities and health of youth in low-income neighborhoods, primarily on the south and west sides of Chicago, through long-term academic, emotional and mental support. The Evanston Community Foundation will serve as the secondary beneficiary for the 25th consecutive year. ECF invests in the community through grant making, leadership development and capacity building. NUDM caps a yearlong philanthropic effort by students to raise much-needed funds for these two charities. Donations can still be made online at www.nudm.org.
The 48th annual Dance Marathon takes place in a huge outdoor tent set up behind Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, on the University’s Evanston campus. The NUDM community, along with risk management teams from Northwestern, are working to ensure the safest in-person experience possible for dancers.
Executive co-chair and Northwestern senior Cady De Camara said the protocols were a must to bring the Dance Marathon back in-person once again. “We couldn’t be more excited to be able to bring our NUDM community back together to dance safely,” said De Camara. “We won’t take this opportunity to celebrate our year of fundraising for granted and cannot wait to introduce three years of Northwestern students to the best 30 hours of the year.”