A: All you have to do is visit helpmakemiracles.org/event/terpthon13 and click Register Now. From there you fill out your specific information. If you plan on attending the dance marathon, you should select dancer. You can also choose your team, create a new one or dance as an individual.
Q: What is the difference between a spirit dancer and a dancer?A: A dancer is a student who is raising money and will pledge to stand on their feet for 12 hours in the spring. A spirit dancer is someone who would like to raise money for the hospital, but cannot make the spring event. This option was created for faculty, alumni and those going abroad during the semester. If you think you have signed up incorrectly, email your shirt size and graduation year to operations@terpthon.org to change this.
Q: Do I have to dance the whole time?A: No, you are not required to dance for the 12 hours. Actually, you're not required to dance at all. There is definitely a lot of dancing going on at the dance marathon event, but you simply pledge to stand on your feet for 12 hours straight. There are other activities besides dancing to fill your time. The kids are there to interact with along with fun games, arts and crafts and plenty of time to hang out with friends and meet new people.
Q: What are the requirements of being a dancer?A: There are few requirements. We ask that each participant is a UMD student, raises their $100 and stays for the 12 hours.
Q: Can I bring my $100 to the event?A: We encourage people to raise their money online because it easier for us to keep track of. However, we do still allow those already signed up on our website to bring their money to the dance marathon event in an envelope with your name on it.
Q: What should I bring?A: You won't need to bring much and please don't bring anything valuable. You should bring a water bottle and maybe a change of socks. Wear comfortable clothes like gym shorts and sneakers. A free T-shirt will be provided with your team's color. Feel free to over-accessorize with your team's color. Bandanas, hats, sunglasses, costume jewelry and face paint are highly encouraged and spirit points will be awarded to those who go above and beyond!
Q: What do we do for 12 hours?A: There will be a full schedule for the 12-hour dance marathon. The time will be filled with music, performances, kid stories, games and two meal times.
Q: What if I am not part of an organization that participates in Terp Thon?A: Anyone can sign up to be a dancer for Terp Thon and involvement within another organization is not required. Teams can be made on helpmakemiracles.org/event/terpthon13. They can consist of anywhere from 1-1,000,000 people, so you can grab a group of friends, your roommates or dance as an individual.
Q: Do you judge on dancing skills?A: No....and yes. There is no skill level required for dancing at the event. However, winning a dance off might earn your team some extra spirit points!
Q: Who is eligible to register?A: Any undergraduate student at the University of Maryland is able to sign up as a dancer for the spring dance marathon event. Faculty and alumni are able to sign up as spirit dancers as well.
Q: How do I raise my $100?There are endless ways to raise your minimum.
A: We pledge to stand for 12 hours to represent the long nurses' shifts at the hospital.
Q: What if I cannot stand for 12 hours, can I still be involved?A: You can 100% still get involved. If you are interested in being a dancer, but for health reasons cannot stand for the full 12 hours, we can make accommodations. Contact our Executive Director, Melanie at executivedirector@terpthon.org with any concerns. Another way to get involved is to be a volunteer. For the day of event, we will be recruiting volunteers to help with different tasks. These shifts will only be a few hours long and are crucial to making the event run smoothly. If you are interested, contact Jessy Feinberg at recruitment@terpthon.org
