DanceBlue is a student run philanthropy at the University of Kentucky. It is a year-long fundraising effort involving thousands of UK students, which culminates in a 24-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon on UK's campus. All of the money raised by DanceBlue goes to the Golden Matrix Fund. DanceBlue has been active for over five years, raising almost two million dollars for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic and Markey Cancer Center. Every year, over 120 campus organizations and 650 dancers help raise money to support all the DanceBlue families..

Mission

It is the mission of the University of Kentucky Dance Marathon, DanceBlue, to create a multi-faceted organization that operates through the support and leadership of the UK students, faculty, staff, administrators, and the Lexington community. The organization enhances the lives of children and families suffering from childhood cancer through the Golden Matrix Fund, and therefore serves the Bluegrass by assisting those treated at the University of Kentucky Pediatric Oncology Clinic. Furthermore, DanceBlue strives to establish a continued tradition, invoke appreciation and involvement, and ultimately create something greater than oneself.

History

The first-ever 24-hour, no sitting, no sleeping, University of Kentucky Dance Marathon, DanceBlue, took place February 10-11, 2006. More than 30 student organization and over 180 dancers flooded into Memorial Coliseum to kick off the event at 9 pm. With the help of over 100 UK students, faculty, staff, and administration, DanceBlue was able to become the most successful student-run philanthropy event in UK's history. In the first year, DanceBlue raised for $123,323.16 for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic! With this total, DanceBlue also broke all fundraising records for a first-year dance marathon event!

The 2011 dance marathon found success with the help of 700 dancers, 95  teams, and countless donors and raised $673.976.60 for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic situating the grand total of funds raised by DanceBlue at over $2,675,000 since its inception in 2005. DanceBlue continues to expand to involve more students, staff, and members of the Lexington community. If you want to help write the history of next year's DanceBlue events, please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it