Dancers Net $7500 for N. Cambridge

Ninety two undergraduates defied exhaustion as they daneed away most of day and most of a day and most of a night at the second annual Currier House dance marathon Saturday in the Palmer-Dixon courts.

But there were still those like David D. Ngo '84, who said afterward. "Why don't we go dancing?"

In the course of the marathon, which lasted from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., the dancers guzzled hundreds of gallons of fruit juice, gyrated to a total of nearly 150 songs, appeared on Channel 7's six o'clock news, and raised $9500 for Harvard's House and Neighborhood Development program (HAND).

All 92 dancers that had earlier collected pledges finished the marathon "hot, sweaty, tired, but enthusiastic," logistics chairman Robert A. Schlesinger '84 said yesterday-spurred on in the final hours by an additional 200 students who each paid two dollars to join the dancing.

Once Currier pays off its expenses for the marathon, Schlesinger said, it will have $7500 available for HAND. Last year's marathon raised $10,000 for HAND.

President Bok implemented the program last year as a way of decentralizing Harvard's and to the Cambridge community. Schlesinger said. Since then, Currier House has had its own student outreach program to Jefferson Park, a housing project in North Cambridge.

Bok Meets Breakers

Bok and Cambridge Mayor Leonard J. Russell kicked off the marathon with speeches, although neither stayed to dance Russell gave a cash donation, while Bok promised to provide one of the marathon's 40 prizes--his presence at a gourmet lunch with the winner.

Bok stayed at the marathon long enough to cut the starting ribbon and watch a group of Jefferson Park break dancers do their stuff.

"He had other things to do, I'm sure," said Currier House Master Dudley R Herschbach '56, who said he himself danced "two or three times" throughout the afternoon and evening and filmed much of the dancing on Super-8, so that Jefferson Park residents could also have a chance to see the event.

"I have a little better feeling for the music than I used to." Herschbach added.

Three Harvard bands--the Dance Bandits. Jane's Parents and Off the Cuff--as well as a student-run disc-jockey company. Liquid Sound, all provided tree music for the marathon.

The marathon's prize committee Schlesinger said, has collected donations which it will give out as prizes to dancers who collect the most in pledged money. The prizes range form a first place trip for two to Bermuda to free pizza form the Currier House grill but none will be awarded before March 3, when all the pledges are collected said coerce Elizabeth Goodman'84.

The moment that generated the most excitement during the marathon before the finale, said publicity chairman Anuj R. Desai '84, happened about 8 p.m. when students began arriving from outside.

"It got hot after those 200 extra people came to help us out," Schlesinger said, meaning the temperature. "They perked the atmosphere up," Desai added.

But for Goodman the key to the marathon's success was the fact that nearly half of the pledged dancers had also participated in last year's marathon, she said, adding that the marathon "still has an incredible amount of potential" and that it will probably be repeated next year.

"The marathon is one of the few things that has so far been discovered that you can use to raise public service money for the work of the Houses," Hersehbach said.

While part of the marathon proceeds will be given directly to Jellerson Park Schlesinger explained a large portion of it will go into Currier's own Jellerson Park outreach, which among other things allows Currier students to tutor residents of the area.

Jazz for Life

Another fund raising event that took place this weekend, Jazz for Life raised $4000 for Oxfam. America a Boston based relief agency. The concert last Friday night featured both student and local talent and presented a variety of musical styles, ranging form the Din and Tonies to blind jazz pianist and street musician Jerry Mack.