South High’s annual dance rescheduled

The South High Marathon Dance, a tradition at South Glens Falls High School for 43 years that has raised nearly $9 million for 567 groups and individuals, will be held in April 2021.

The event, where students from the high school dance for 28 hours in the gym, has been held the first weekend of March since the early 1980s. In a statement released Friday, the organizers said they moved the date for 2021 to “provide more time for COVID-19 restrictions to relax as well as the (dance) to adapt to the current environment and explore technology options to further evolve the event.”

The new dates are April 30 to May 1. The organizers hope to announce by March 1 what the event will look like. It will likely be closed to the public and, based on public health requirements at the time, there may be restrictions on the number of students who can participate. Dancing might be staggered into shifts to decrease the amount of people in one space at one time. The event raised $801,281 last year.

The marathon dance experimented with a virtual broadcast for the first time in 2009, when a web cam mounted to a wall in the gym allowed for a live stream, and has expanded its reach as technology improved. As many as 1,000 people from all 50 states and 26 countries watched portions of the event, according to the statement.

A dance advisory board takes applications from groups and individuals hoping to receive portions of the proceeds from the fundraiser each year. Over the years, donations have gone to individuals who had cancer, or needed an organ transplant, or a therapy animal or were suffering from a chronic disease and needed money to see specialists.

Nonprofits such as the Alzheimer’s Association, the Moreau Community Center, Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and the Upstate NY Autism Alliance have benefited from the event. In addition to pledges from local people to support the dancers, the marathon dance raises money through clothing sales, live and silent auctions and raffles.

It is unlikely the board will accept as many recipients as in years’ past, the statement said. All requests for help must be submitted by Jan. 1. If you have a suggestion or wish to donate, send a message to donations@shmd.org.