Everything that is done by this organization is solely For The Kids. As a dancer, I understood that. But as part of the committee, I believed it and began to live with that mindset. DanceBlue committee is a collection of students who have gone through an application and interview process to be on the behind-the-scenes side of the organization. At the start of each spring semester, our committee work-days continuously reminded me how crucial each branch of the committee was to make DanceBlue happen. The closer we got to the marathon, the more we began acting as one functioning body. The heart and soul of this organization revolve around the kids we serve, and everything else comes from the overflow of the heart of DanceBlue.
After another DanceBlue marathon has come and gone, the exhaustion that comes with being up for 40 hours (because who can sleep on the day of the marathon) and experiencing all sorts of emotions, the morning after is one of the sweetest, yet unspoken parts of DanceBlue. Waking up groggy and reflecting upon what you were a part of the day before is beyond incredible, and words cannot do justice to describe the feeling of actually changing the world. However, with the conclusion of each marathon comes the reality that your role for that past year is done… and that’s where the post-marathon (Dance)Blues set in.
The people we have spent countless hours working with, dancing alongside, serving next to, crying on and encouraging throughout the year have become so important that it is hard to accept that all of the weekly meetings and various activities to prepare for the marathon are done. Along with most of my fellow Morale committee after this past marathon, I woke up and combed through Facebook and sent hilarious pictures of our different committee members in our group chat. The chatter between us lasted throughout the day with efforts to coordinate different hangouts for every day of that upcoming week. Even doing something as simple looking at and talking about the memories from the past weekend hits a soft spot because the DanceBlue committee as a whole works effortlessly to make one weekend spectacular. And in those final three hours of the marathon is where the magic happens!
The people we have spent countless hours working with, dancing alongside, serving next to, crying on and encouraging throughout the year have become so important that it is hard to accept that all of the weekly meetings and various activities to prepare for the marathon are done. Along with most of my fellow Morale committee after this past marathon, I woke up and combed through Facebook and sent hilarious pictures of our different committee members in our group chat. The chatter between us lasted throughout the day with efforts to coordinate different hangouts for every day of that upcoming week. Even doing something as simple looking at and talking about the memories from the past weekend hits a soft spot because the DanceBlue committee as a whole works effortlessly to make one weekend spectacular. And in those final three hours of the marathon is where the magic happens!
Seeing our kids get up on stage and receive so much support for just being a kid is an experience I will never be able to compare anything to. Following with the celebration of life hour where we hear stories of families who either have fought and won against cancer, are currently fighting or have lost the battle brings so much into perspective. Life is beautiful, plain and simple, and when we remove ourselves from the picture, that’s where we find so much fulfillment. DanceBlue embodies this so well, which is why it’s difficult to come to grips with your involvement coming to an end. Giving so much of yourself sacrificially and selflessly is extremely hard, and at times it’s easy to forget the importance of why we dance and serve the way we do, but everything we do comes to fruition in those last hours of the marathon, and nothing is as rewarding as knowing lives will be changed for the better.
These (Dance)Blues come from knowing that you as an individual are a part of something greater than yourself and are surrounded by solid people who have a similar mentality, but that your time has come to a close. So here’s to DanceBlue 2019!
