DanceBlue Supporters Are More FTK Than Ever

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2016) — This upcoming weekend hundreds of University of Kentucky students will stand and dance for 24 hours to raise money and fight for a cure for childhood cancer in the 2016 DanceBlue Marathon.  

This year, DanceBlue will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 and end at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. In previous years, DanceBlue guests have entered Memorial Coliseum from the main Avenue of Champions entrance, this year guests are asked to enter from Lexington Avenue next to the Joe Craft Ticket Center.

The 2016 marathon will be more interactive than ever for both guests and dancers. Each of the hours during the marathon is themed! Some of the favorite hours include rave hour, the clinic patient talent show and the last two hours of the marathon which include the Celebration of Life Ceremony and fundraising reveal.

Guests can also get involved by visiting the DanceBlue “Bluetique” from 3:30 - 8:50 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, and 8:30 - 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, selling a wide array of DanceBlue merchandise.

Although food is provided, guests are permitted and encouraged to bring dancers their favorite snacks or beverages during the marathon.

“We really want people to come to the marathon and get involved in the crowd this year," said Allee Williams, DanceBlue public relations chair. "There will be a poster making station, a social media scavenger hunt and really interactive hours to make sure dancers and guests are having fun. You don't have to be a dancer or volunteer to be a part of DanceBlue. We want to pack the stands and keep spirit high as we enter a new decade of dancing for the kids!"

DanceBlue is the University of Kentucky’s 24-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that benefits the Golden Matrix Fund and the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic. Now in its 11th year, DanceBlue has raised more than $8 million for cancer research and DanceBlue Clinic patients and families.

Give to DanceBlue here and connect with DanceBlue on Facebook at www.facebook.com/danceblue and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UKDanceBlue.

DanceBlue is a program housed in the UK Center for Community Outreach. The CCO seeks to serve, connect and unite UK with the surrounding community in collaborative efforts to promote life-long community service. For more information about the CCO, visit www.ukcco.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Katy Bennett or Rebecca Stratton, katy.bennett@uky.edu or rebecca.stratton@uky.edu, 859-257-1909/859-323-2395