Contributed photo
Contributed photo
48th Northwestern Dance Marathon is back under the tent
Annual charity returns for an in-person event for the first time in two years
- Media invited on campus to cover set-up inside the tent and excitement prior to start of Dance Marathon on Friday, March 4
- Makes for a great & exciting morning show or midday live talk-back or reporter feature segment
- Preview visuals include constructing of stages, dance floor, sorting of DM t-shirts and much more
- Live Zoom interviews from inside the tent prior to and during Dance Marathon are available for booking. Media are not permitted in-person at event per COVID-19 protocols (details below)
- Live stream available beginning March 4 through end of event
- B-roll of dancers from opening night available for download (evening of March 4)
EVANSTON, Ill. --- 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 for two local nonprofit organizations. NUDM selected Chicago Youth Programs (CYP) 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 (ECF) 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.
COVID-19 Safety Protocols
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 DeCamara, said the protocols were a must to bring DM 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 DeCamara. “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.”
Among the COVID-19 mitigation efforts:
- All dancers must present a negative COVID-19 test 24 hours prior to entering the tent, regardless of vaccination status.
- All dancers must show a green badge on their Northwestern University symptom tracker.
- Masks will be provided and all dancers will be required to wear them for the duration of their time in the tent.
- Hand sanitizing stations will be provided.
- Visitors from outside Northwestern, except for staff from the partnering organizations, will not be allowed inside the tent during the event.
A livestream of the event can be viewed online at www.nudm.org starting Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 6.
NUDM has raised more than $20 million for nearly three-dozen charities. The final total is presented to the beneficiaries via an oversized, eye-popping check at the conclusion of the marathon.
About Chicago Youth Programs
Chicago Youth Programs is a nonprofit organization striving to improve the life opportunities and health of young people in low-income neighborhoods, primarily on the south and west sides of Chicago, through long-term academic, emotional and mental support. CYP promotes the broad development of cognitive, behavioral and social capabilities for youth navigating a wide variety of societal inequities through a range of services, including but not limited to early literacy programming, academic tutoring, crisis intervention and restorative justice programming. Since its infancy in 1984 as the “Cabrini Green Youth Program,” CYP has grown into an organization serving youth and families in at least 30 of Chicago's 50 wards. Overall, CYP has served roughly 18,000 youths through its programs, services and health clinics. To learn more about CYP and their work visit www.chicagoyouthprograms.org.
Evanston Community Foundation
The Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) is NUDM’s secondary beneficiary for the 25th consecutive year. ECF is an independent public charity that works to strengthen Evanston and its surrounding areas. Since its founding in 1986, ECF has awarded numerous grants and endowment funds to deserving individuals, families and organizations with the goal of helping Evanston thrive now and forever as a vibrant, inclusive and just community. NUDM has given more than $1 million to ECF over its partnership. To learn more about ECF, visit www.evanstonforever.org.
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