Sauntering forward onstage, the singers of all male a cappella group Orange Appeal belted out the first note of ‘Beth/Rest’ by Grammy Award-winning buzz band Bon Iver.

Grooving to the music, the members jokingly snuck up behind one another while dancing to the rhythm. They weren’t the only ones who danced.

Students flocked to the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium on Saturday night for an all-night dance marathon. Hosted by Syracuse Universityand the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry chapter of Habitat for Humanity, this second Dance Marathon raised funds for their second house in Westside, Syracuse.

‘Habitat for Humanity is a body of committed advocates who promote affordable and economical housing,’ said Mo Finn, co-executive director and junior television, radio and film major.

The night featured live music, pizza and a lot of dancing. DJ Tim from Black Tie Entertainment kept the tunes pumping from 6 p.m. to midnight. Tickets were $3 and an additional $5 for a T-shirt. Several attendees bought tickets at the venue.

The dance floor was never empty. Couples paired up, some attendees broke out their best back bending moves for the limbo line and a group of friends danced into their own mini-conga line around the auditorium.

All through the night and in between performances, the DJ and a few student acts kept the crowd moving with old school songs like Jock Jams’ ‘Everybody Dance Now’ and The Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me,’ along with current hits like Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ and crowd favorite ‘Cha-cha Slide’ by DJ Casper. 

A moving cover ofColdplay’s hit song ‘Paradise’ was Orange Appeal’s final selection. Alex Amadeo, pianist and Orange Appeal’s musical director, led the group. The closing number was an emotional and slow rendition, but it still gave the audience a beat to tap their toes to.

The next performers keeping the dancers going were members of the newly founded bandThe Monk That Bought Lunch. Lead singer Kevin Colson kept the crowd in sync with melodic hard-hitting acoustic tunes. After their final song, ‘The Laughing Dollar,’ the crowd cheered and whooped for the band to play more.Saxophone player Jimmy Corbetthit the crowd with a few more notes.

Natalie McCrudden, a senior environmental engineering major, said she enjoyed the group’s soulful performance.

‘They carried the show and were a great band all around, here to have a good time,’ she said.

The event’s bands and musicians joined the crowd to dance the night away until the clock hit midnight. Exhausted students departed after a night of fun and helping the community.

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Published on February 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm