DanceBlue is a 24-hour, no-sit, no-sleep dance marathon in Lexington, KY, to raise money for pediatric cancer and cancer research. DanceBlue was started in honor of Jarret Mynear, a young boy who dreamed of making everyone’s experience in the Children’s Hospital more enjoyable. After his passing in 2002, Jarret’s parents were made aware of Penn State’s THON, the most extensive college philanthropy in the nation. Through the help of the Mynear and students on the University of Kentucky’s campus, DanceBlue was born.

When the 24-hour dance marathon begins, students spend the first 2 hours learning the line dance. The line dance is played for the first 15 minutes of every hour; the music to this dance combines the top songs and funny memes of recent years. For the most part, you dance with a partner because many dances require you to be with someone else. After the 15-minute dance, each hour is given a theme. These themes can vary from Kentucky sports to Harry Potter. This allows the dancers to do fun activities during the remaining 45. Dancers are given specific times to eat or change throughout the 24 hours.

To date, the philanthropy has raised $20 million for pediatric cancer, each year, it only continues to grow. The marathon happens every year at the end of March or the beginning of April. There are many ways to get involved and many opportunities to help out. Most student organizations create a team led by one or two captains that help keep members informed about fundraising and any new updates on the marathon. To be a member of the team or a “dancer,” you need to raise $416 personally by the deadline of 1 month before the marathon. There are many ways for dancers to raise money, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Many send information texts to families and companies asking for their support. However, being a dancer is not the only way to be involved in DanceBlue. DanceBlue has multiple committees that people can apply for, allowing them to be members of the marathon. Some of these committees are Programming, Morale, and Operations. These committees meet annually to help plan and do all the behind-the-scenes work before the marathon. DanceBlue would not be possible without any of the people involved. All of us are doing our part to help the fight against pediatric cancer.