Photo: Belize Dance Marathon Team

On Saturday night, dancers packed into Upper Olmsted for the Belize Dance Marathon. They danced, played games and ate heaping amounts of food in order to raise money for the James Arthur Albert Foundation.

The foundation helps fund education for children in Belize, specifically for females. James Albert, professor of law at Drake University, has traveled to Belize to monitor the progress of the newly built school and the success of the children enrolled.

Several organizations pledged a large portion of their members to participate in the fundraiser. Alpha Delta Pi member Jacqueline Matsunaga represented her house for three hours at BDM.

“I thought the Belize Dance Marathon was a lot of fun and for an amazing cause. It was a very rewarding experience to actually see the children we were helping and hear their appreciation through the live feed,” Matsunaga said. “A lot of times we participate in events to raise money, but we never get a chance to see the outcome of our efforts, and that’s why I thought the Belize Dance Marathon was so great.”

The live feed to Belize concluded with a 7-year-old boy approaching the camera to announce he was going to grade school in the building the James Arthur Albert Foundation built, and he said, “Thank you Drake University, please come see us.”

The 12-hour program wasn’t just reserved for dancing. There were performances throughout the night, including the Isiserettes Drill and Drum line, a swing dance group and the local band EGG.

“I would most definitely do it again,” Matsunaga said.