Students had a swinging good time dancing the night away for a charity event at the Student Recreation Complex Saturday.
The event was put on by the ASU Swing Devils to raise money for City of Hope, a research organization that attempts to find cures for cancer, AIDS and other diseases, said bioengineering senior and club president Megan Henriksen.
She said the all-night event that started at 7 p.m. and ended at 9 a.m. was named Lindy Hop(e) in a nod to both the City of Hope organization and the swing style of dance known as the Lindy Hop.
Elaine Rhoades, an attendee of the event and a freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said even though she was sore after the event, it was worth it for the cause.
“Lindy Hop(e) was great because I got to combine my passion for raising money for a good cause with my passion for swing dancing to awesome music with great leads,” Rhoades said.
This is the first time the ASU Swing Devils have hosted the Lindy Hop(e) dance-a-thon. However, it is modeled after a larger annual event that takes place in Los Angeles every year that benefits the same organization.
People registered for the event with a minimum fee of $50. Thirty people signed up for Lindy Hop(e), raising a total of $1,500.
Anthropology and computational mathematics senior and vice president of the ASU Swing Devils Mara Steinhaus said 100 percent of the proceeds made at the event were being donated to City of Hope.
“All of the costs for the event, the food, the room space and the DJ were paid for with funds the Swing Devils have raised through our personal fundraising events,” Steinhaus said.
Although the event was advertised as being an all-night dance fest, there were other activities offered, she said.
Teachers from around the state came to give dance lessons, movies related to swing dancing were shown and a best-dressed vintage contest was held.
Steinhaus said they decided to host this event because the club does several community service projects and this one seemed like a fun idea.
ASU Swing Devils was founded by Steinhaus and Henriksen three years ago because they were looking for a fun way to get together with friends on campus and dance.
The club, which has about 30 members, meets weekly at the SRC to teach intermediate swing dance lessons to anyone who is interested in learning.
They also have a professional team that has competed in two out-of-state competitions and will be competing in a third at the end of this month.
As for how they survived a whole night of swing dancing and activities, Henriksen and Steinhaus agreed that adrenaline and energy drinks were their best friends.
“There’s a point where you get so tired, it just doesn’t matter anymore,” Henriksen joked.
Reach the reporter at danielle.legler@asu.edu
