Students participate in a Dance Marathon Saturday afternoon at the University of Michigan at the indoor track and field center. They'll be on their feet for 30 hours straight to raise money for pediatric therapy programs at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor and Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

Mark Bialek | for AnnArbor.com

A tsunami immediately followed a volcanic eruption at about noon Saturday in the Indoor Track and Field Building—but it was all in fun since both were the names of dance moves during the 14th-annual Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan.

Several hundred students were participating in the marathon to raise funds for the treatment of disabled children. When the event clock started ticking precisely at 10 a.m., the dancers had the goal of staying on their feet for 30 grueling but fun hours.

Closing ceremonies will wrap up at 4 p.m. on Sunday, at which time the dancers can take a load off. Between times, lots of activities are planned.

“We try to pack in as many performances and activities as possible, so no matter what kind of person you are, you can find something here that interests you and keeps you energized,” said Jessica Brierly-Snowden, DMUM community outreach chairperson.

Students participating the dance marathon got started at about 10 a.m. Saturday, and they'll keep dancing until 4 p.m. Sunday.

Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com

Brierly-Snowden said DMUM, which is entirely run by U-M undergraduates, raised $388,000 last year and has netted over $2 million since its inception. DMUM distributes 55 percent of the revenue to therapy programs at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and 30 percent to similar programs at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

The remaining 15 percent goes into a fund designed to ensure DMUM’s long-term organizational stability. From this capital source, DMUM has just issued its first $10,000 grant for a new therapy program that lets kids afflicted with cerebral palsy play ice hockey. High school hockey players are helping out with the coaching.

For U-M freshman Rohan Dharan, the planned activities looked sufficient to keep him from thinking about his suffering.

“I like that they have so much to do,” said Dharan, a political science and psychology major. He had brought along some tennis balls to roll under the arches of his sure-to-be-sore feet. And he brought previous experience, thanks to the 6-hour marathons he had participated in at Carmel (Ind.) High School. In fact, he didn’t foresee any special strategy being necessary.

“I’m just trying to stay excited the whole time.”

DMUM hospitality chairperson Meghan Harrison, working with event sponsors, arranged for nutritious and energizing meals for the dancers. Plenty of snacks and drinks were available, too—but no caffeinated beverages.

Brierly-Snowden said the drug causes dancers to “crash.”

Dancers are grouped into teams, each with two captains. The teams are matched with families whose kids benefit from the therapy programs DMUM funds.

Andrea Peguese of Farmington Hills said this was her family’s eighth-consecutive marathon, and she has seen “phenomenal” growth. Her 12-year-old sons have what she called “mild” cerebral palsy. Young Miles was working in the station that sold T-shirts and other apparel with the marathon’s logo. His twin, Evan, was off somewhere closer to the action, but she wasn’t worried about him because of the family-like atmosphere that pervaded the arena.

Peguese said the U-M students “have broken down a barrier” by accepting all participating kids. “I’ve never seen them shun one single person.”