Maybe Ginger Rodgers could dance all night in heels, but for the participants in the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon this weekend, the footwear was less than formal.

While their fellow students watched movies, went to parties and ate at the golden arches, the dancers in White Building were more concerned about treating their sagging and fallen arches.

Each participant had a unique way of fighting off flat feet.

Liz Fasoldt (senior-German) tried to beat gravity by trading off between her green Stan Smith tennis shoes and a pair running sneakers she stored in her cubby hole.

"They told us not to get new shoes and this is what I had," she said.

Glenn Johnston (junior-international business), a member of the Morale Committee and a former shoe store employee, said a good choice was either an aerobic or tennis shoe.

"I think cushioning is more important than arch support," he said, while massaging a dancer's foot with baby powder. "That is, unless you have an arch problem."

And shoe selection was also no minor detail for Joe Puerzer (junior-psychology). He learned his lesson quickly after he started dancing in a pair of Sperry Topsiders with no socks.

Soon his feet turned sweaty and blistery so he put on a pair of Le Coq Sportif sneakers and socks.

"I got a can of foot deodorant spray, that really does it, and got a foot massage," he said. "Now I'm ready to play four square."

But Lara Sahakian (junior-international economics) relied more on foot massages than the power of her pink Nike CXT Ultras.

"These massages are helping me make it," she said.

Even though the majority of the participants went for athletic shoes, some dancers took the non-traditional route in their choice of footwear.

Patrick Stefanek (senior-administration of justice) stood out from the crowd in his calf-high black military boots. Stefanek said his boots gave him great ankle support and were his most worn-in pair of shoes.

"I've done a lot of hiking in them," he said.

And Ben Winderman (senior-education) looked ready for a day at the beach in his socks and black rubber sandals. He said the sandals were comfortable and had arches in them. But he also had a pair of sneakers in his cubby.

"I feel good," he said.