Iowa City, IA- Dancers dance at Dance Marathon 18 during power hour in the IMU Main Lounge on Saturday, February 4, 2011. (The Daily Iowan/ Ricky Bahner)
Green glow sticks flew over the heads of more than 2,000 Dance Marathon dancers, families, and volunteers.
“Let’s make enough noise so they can hear us over at the hospital,” one of the DJs yelled out into the crowd. It was the start of Power Hour.
LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” — a fan favorite from the beginning — kicked off the final hour of non-stop dancing.
Dancers gravitated toward the front of the room, throwing up their arms, and continuously chanting “FTK.”
While Power Hour is undoubtedly the most physical period of the Big Event, the determination of finishing the 24-hour marathon is enough motivation for some dancers.
“I feel sweaty, but [this experience] is amazing,” said Justin Suckud, a University of Iowa senior. “All of the people in one area have the same idea and it’s like we’re one.”
Kara Dornis, a middle school student, agreed.
“You get all pumped up,” she said. “I’m not ready for it to be over.”
Power Hour had been a large talking point throughout the night to motivate dancers.
And there was no shortage of excitement before the hour of continuous dancing began.
“This is my first year, and I’ve heard that Power Hour is the most exciting time of the event,” said Annie Korkowski, a UI freshman. “Everyone is on their last drag and it’s just crazy. I am really, really excited for it.”
Emily Bettridge, a UI sophomore, is on the Event Committee this year, and she said Power Hour is “absolutely” her favorite part of Dance Marathon.
“The energy is just so intense,” Bettridge said. “An hour before it you are just so drained, and then it’s Power Hour, and you are just so psyched … the energy, it just all comes together.”
Power Hour is also her favorite because Dance Marathon participants, have by that point, experienced most — if not all — emotions.
“[Dancers] have the ability to be able to feel every single emotion in 24 hours,” she said. “You cry, you laugh, you get mad at your friends that you’ve seen for 24 hours straight … It’s literally every emotion possible.”
Tara Hackney, a 2011 UI graduate, said Power Hour makes the Big Event come full circle.
“It’s like the best part of the whole event and everything else builds up to it,” she said. “There’s no other feeling in the world to describe. You are the most tired but the most energized.”
