We've reached the end of Dance Marathon 2019! To see all our stories from the past 30 hours, check out our full coverage here: http://alpha.northbynorthwestern.com/tag/dm-2019/.

After 30 hours filled with awkward white-people dancing, a few escapes from the tent, moldy oranges and pain self-inflicted in the name of philanthropy, Northwestern University’s 2019 Dance Marathon has come to a close. Yet again NUDM raised over $1 million for its beneficiaries, with the total donation amount clocking in at $1,144,515. Communities in Schools of Chicago will receive the majority of the donation, with $911,681 being given to the organization. Evanston Community Foundation, a nonprofit that has worked with NUDM for over 20 years, will receive the remainder.

Before the reveal, NUDM exec members thanked CIS, ECF, donors, committee members and, above all, the Norris staff, saying it truly wouldn’t be DM without their help. (Given the mess in the tent and general musty smell that is now spreading throughout the building as dancers take their leave, we can confirm that that the Norris staff have their work cut out for them and deserve nothing but the highest praise.)

The emcees took to the stage to say a few last words, telling dancers to not “let what happened here stay here.” They said the strong bonds formed in the 30 hours has a shelf life outside of the tent - this was evidenced by dancers swaying to Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up,” some crying and hugging their friends after the reveal.

The two final songs of the night were, fittingly, “Final Song” by MØ and “Good Riddance” by Green Day, which played as the dancers streamed out of the tent. Some were visibly defeated by the 30 straight hours of dancing and activity, while others seemed energized by the reveal of the total amount raised.  

“That number … does not fix the opportunity gap, it does not save the world,” one of the co-chairs said, stressing that there is more work to be done.