Although the huge sums of money and the incalculable amount of hope that is created for the Marathon's young cancer patients undoubtedly can't be ignored, the driving force behind the fund raiser is the dancing.

So it seems tough to think of a more appropriate State College band than Ruder Than You to keep the dancers' toes-a-tappin' while they are struggling to stay on their feet.

Last summer, band drummer John Woodman tried to organize a group specializing in ska, funk and reggae and what he got was a band that virtually demands dancing and fun.

"We're trying to put out a lot of energy with what we do on stage and we hope it transfers to the audience," Woodman said.

The energy thing seems to be working because Ruder Than You has been drawing larger and larger crowds since its first show last semester.

Beside being fun to watch, Woodman attributes the band's growing popularity to the relative uniqueness of their music.

"In a way, we've got the market cornered. Absolutely no one in this area is doing any ska," Woodman said. "The Earthtones do reggae, but this is a different brand of reggae."

All of the members, sans guitarist / vocalist Ted McCloskey, have a certain affinity for ska. McCloskey, however, quipped that ska is only "upbeat polka music."

His dissent from the others' tastes is somewhat appreciated by lead vocalist / guitarist Dave Schneck who said he doesn't want to be labeled as a band that plays nothing but ska.

Instead, they proclaim their act to be a "funky reggae party" and said their performances try to go beyond just playing to the crowd.

"We all sort of have an ethos about us that wants to get the audience involved," Schneck said.

Ruder Than You goes as far as to bring the audience onto the stage. If someone wants to play guitar, sing, drum or just bang on a cow bell, Schneck said the band would allow them -- as long the request was reasonable.

"It's like there's an invisible wall between the audience and the band and we're trying to break it down by bringing people up on stage," he explained.

Woodman said he and the band were looking forward to playing at the Dance Marathon more than any other gig this semester and said he feels the event is a noble cause.

"And also we don't have to worry about people dancing. If they stop dancing they have to leave," he added jokingly.