Thon tradition

Pop culture, inside jokes influence dance

By PATRICIA TISAK
Collegian Staff Writer

Whether actor John Travolta is stayin' alive in this year's dance marathon line dance has yet to be determined.

"Travolta contributes dance moves every year, so he finds his way into the line dances," said Jennifer Wolford, a morale committee captain.

Each year, the 1998 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon morale committee captains make up a line dance they reveal the first night of Thon.

"We do the line dance so often during the dance marathon that the lyrics have to be fun to lift the dancers' spirits," said Overall Public Relations Chairwoman Emily Sharretts (senior-advertising and public relations).

"You'll find out Friday night," Wolford said.

In the 1996 Thon line dance, the morale committee shouted "Travolta in the 70s" while doing Travolta's dance moves from the movie Saturday Night Fever, Wolford said. Then they shouted "Travolta in the 90s" while doing Travolta's moves from the movie Pulp Fiction, she said.

Michael Casey, who was a morale committee captain during last year's Thon, said the captains placed the Travolta dance move from the movie Michael in last year's Thon line dance.

"We did the little strut John Travolta does across the stage in the movie," said Casey, a captain on this year's social committee.

The Travolta line dance tradition has to do with his career revival, said Casey (junior-accounting).

However, there are other lyrics to the line dances that are inside jokes, he said.

"There's a part in the (1997) line dance when we go 'Moosa, moosa, moosa,' " Casey said. "It was a joke on (1998 Overall Dance Marathon Chairman) Todd Waltman and last year's overall morale chairwoman. I don't know if it had to do with '(The Adventures of) Rocky and Bullwinkle.' "

The line dance lyrics, which denote specific dance steps, also incorporate past news events, Wolford said.

"For example, the lyrics to last year's line dance included, 'Cabbage Patch, Cabbage Patch. Oops, ate my hair!' which is a funny look back at the Cabbage Patch toys that were popular last year that were eating little girls' hair," Wolford said.

Mark Abdelmalek, a captain of the family relations committee, said the Cabbage Patch line was one of his favorites.

"Another one of my favorite lines is 'Thunder, Lightning' because my dance partner and I modified the moves to what we wanted," said Abdelmalek (senior-premed/nutrition), who was a dancer in last year's Thon.

Abdelmalek said the line dance is a memorable part of the weekend.

"Whenever I hear anything to do with the song or the moves or the people mentioned in the line dance, it brings back Thon," Abdelmalek said. "It's something that ties everyone together. It's not a committee thing, it's an everyone thing."