You know you're involved in Dance Marathon when...
1. "You hear a song from the line dance and break out into the choreography." – Lauren Eades, morale committee co-director
One of the main events at BSUDM is a choreographed line dance to a medley of songs. Dancers and committee members practice so much, it can be hard not to simply break out when a song you know comes on.
2. “A suggested search on Twitter is ‘FTK.’” – Jayne Henn, dancer
The signature slogan of Dance Marathons everywhere, “FTK” or “For the Kids,” is a fast way to search for what’s going on in the organization.
3. “Screaming ‘FTK’ feels normal.” – Kelsey Smith, dancer
The slogan is a quick way to alert people what your cause is, and many BSUDM participants chant as a way to boost morale about the event and its cause.
4. “Your YouTube feed is full of Riley videos.” – Smith
Looking up other groups’ line dances and watching videos of their events can be inspiring… and create a common theme in your suggestions panel.
5. “Half of your wardrobe is DM merchandise.” – Jordan Ingle, dancer
What better way to promote a cause than by wearing the advertisement? Merchandise is a great way to make people aware of the cause, and you could even recruit a person or two.
6. “You find Riley buckets stuffed in the trunk of your car.” – Alyssa Thompson, director of dancer fundraising
BSUDM members can be seen carrying plastic red buckets around for change donations. It’s not uncommon to find the buckets in various other places in your life.
7. “You’re a walking advertisement to donate to Riley Hospital for Children.” – Jacob Logeman, leader of the tech committee
Riley Hospital might not have to pay for commercials or billboards after BSUDM. Or any schools’ event, for that matter.
8. “You plan to spend any extra money on DM gear.” – Bryce Sigsbee, dancer
As broke college students, it can be hard to decide where extra dough will go. But, as a part of BSUDM, you want to feel as connected as possible—which means being decked out in as much DM gear as possible.
9. “All of your social media is FTK.” – Alex Shaeffer, dancer
When promoting a cause, social media is the way to go these days. As such, it can be hard to not make BSUDM the subject of each Facebook status, Instagram post or tweet. It’s also difficult (or impossible) to refrain from using #FTK. Think of it as the word vomit from "Mean Girls": when you aren't talking about it, you hope someone brings it up because you want to talk about it so badly.
10. “You start as a part of it, and it becomes a part of you.” – Zach Brown, BSUDM alum
When a part of a major organization with a great cause, it can be hard not to become emotionally involved in BSUDM. After all of the planning and preparation, a night of “dancing for those who can’t” is a feeling of success.
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