Behind the double doors, the moraler group that was waiting to burst into the dance room at 3 a.m. appeared to bubble with excitement as it waited for its turn to flood Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
The moralers, who came to Dance Marathon to re-energize tired dancers throughout the 26-hour event, moved about the crowd entry room, anxious for their 3 a.m. arrival.
Hearing the countdown from the main room, the moralers fell silent. The doors opened and they rushed into the room, handing out pillows to dancers amid flashes of light as others pulled out their cameras for pictures.
Every three hours, two double doors on one side of the ballroom would open up to let in a new wave of moralers who would join those already present.
Moralers brought not only motivation, but also gifts for the dancers.
Audrey Sakae, a fourth-year economics/international area studies and global studies student, moraled in support of her friends at Dance Marathon, moving in step alongside them and providing them with food and water throughout the night and morning.
Sakae joined her friends after the 9 p.m. entrance of moralers.
“Everyone is so enthusiastic, and we help keep everyone lively and on their feet,” Sakae said.
Fourth-year political science and French student Alan Siero said he was doing fine before the arrival of the 9 p.m. moralers, but that the extra enthusiasm Sakae and others brought helped reinvigorate him and the other dancers.
With each new group of fresh moralers, the dance floor would liven up, he added.
Dancers used the gifts the moralers brought in their dancing.
At 3 a.m., some dancers used the pillows as dancing accessories, waving them in the air or wedging them in between their bodies as they moved in unison.
The simple physical stamina needed to stay on one’s feet for 26 hours even without dancing is tremendous, Sakae said.
She said moralers were there to provide support to the dancers, who were tired, sweaty and smelly from moving to the beat for so long.
Sakae participated as a moraler two years ago, and she was a dancer last year.
Though she could not raise the $225 to be a dancer this year, Sakae said moraling was “the next best thing.”
Since moralers stay at Dance Marathon for a shorter time than the dancers, they do not have to conserve their energy for the entire event as dancers do, she said.
“I’m definitely able to go all out instead of having to pace myself,” Sakae said.
Even when she went on a break to get water, she said she came across other dancers and asked them how they were doing, maintaining her upbeat mood and supporting them in their dancing.
Sakae said the choreographed morale dances – a series of forward, backward and side steps which had everyone on the dance floor moving in step together – created a sense of community among the participants.
At midnight, Sakae’s friend Yvonne Ha, a third-year art history and political science student, rushed into the room along with a huge group of moralers.
With a group of other friends, these moralers cheered on students who had already been dancing for nearly half a day, as well as the moralers who had already come to the event.
Though some fatigue appeared to show up on the dancers, the arrival of the midnight moralers removed any appearance of tiredness from their faces.
Carmen Chang, a fourth-year political science and global studies student, said the arrival of each group made it possible to dance throughout the entire night and morning.
Ha said she knew she was not ready to commit herself to dance for 26 hours, “but moraling seemed like something feasible and fun.”
As the morning hours progressed, many dancers started stretching to keep their legs in good shape.
A group of eight dancers and moralers formed a circle in which each of them massaged the back of the next person, keeping each of their bodies limber and their spirits raised.
Many students also used the Student Health Advocate table, which provided medical supplies for those in need. The SHAs manning the table provided extra support through their enthusiasm, as well as through their foot massage device and tennis balls, which dancers used to rub on their feet for relief.
And by the time Sunday morning rolled around, cheers filled the room upon the countdown to the end as dancers, moralers and committee members did one last morale dance.
And as the clock struck 1 p.m., the dancers sat down for the first time since Saturday morning.
Moralers gave each other high-fives and hugged.
Ha said she was happy that she could tell future generations about how she and other UCLA students had contributed to the fight against pediatric AIDS.
“Even as a moraler who was there a fraction of the time dancers were, I felt the excitement, talent, hard work and passion that went into Dance Marathon,” Ha said.