Along with her husband and her five-year-old twins Joshua and Connor, Lori Zack attended Dance Marathon for the first time to support the team that would be dancing for one of her sons, who has been receiving therapy since the age of one. Joshua has been in occupational, physical and speech therapy at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak since January of last year.

“The insurance will not pay for the therapy, and Dance Marathon has helped reduce the cost and allowed for him to be involved in his therapies,” Zack said.

More than 50 families were present at Dance Marathon in the Indoor Track Building this weekend, cheering on the more than 700 dancers who participated in the 30-hour marathon. The marathon was the culmination of a series of events raising money for pediatric rehabilitation.

Dancers raise money throughout the year and are expected to do so before participating in the marathon. This year over $300,000 were raised.

The rules of Dance Marathon are very simple but challenging: The dancers could not sit, kneel or lean for 30 hours. While their task was difficult, dancers had overwhelming support from “moralers” and their teams.

“My role as a moraler is to keep the dancers’ spirits up. I provide them with support, massages and whatever they need to keep them going,” said LSA senior Nilay Parikh.

During the event, performances on the stage included dance competitions, battle of the bands, line dancing and games.

Among these performances was a student group performing Middle Eastern dances.

“The Arabesque dancing group has been practicing since November for this performance. It’s exhilarating to be here, even if you are tired. You see all the smiling faces around you, and it encourages you to stay on your feet ‘till the last hour,” said LSA freshman Ameera David, a member of the group.

Other activities took place on the main floor. There was a video game station, an arts and crafts section and different sports. The participants were provided with food and free gifts donated by local caterers and corporate sponsors.

The dancers were divided into teams representing each of the families involved.

“Dancers were put into groups and then paired up with a family depending on the amount of contact they wanted to keep with the family,” said Dance Marathon’s Family Relations Education Chair, Janene Sabotka.

Each family meets its group in October and maintains contact with the group through the many fundraisers Dance Marathon holds during the year. Some of these events included pumpkin carving, a concert by the a cappella group The Friars, a charity ball and a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament. Other families also developed their relationship with their teams by meeting with them on a regular basis outside these events.

“Our team did some activities outside of Dance Marathon. Last week we went to the (Ann Arbor) Hands-On Museum,” Zack said.

It was thanks to all this support that dancers were able to withstand the 30 long hours of standing.

“I am tired and sleepy, but I’m so glad I did it. I definitely want to be a part of Dance Marathon next year,” said Dance Captain Namitha Menon.

All money raised by Dance Marathon is donated to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and William Beaumont Hospital.