Lights, Camera, Cure! 5th Annual Hollywood Dance Marathon Takes Place This Weekend

This Saturday, tons of Penn Staters and Los Angeles-area residents will take to the dance floor as part of the 5th annual Hollywood Dance Marathon, organized by Lights Camera Cure (LCC). From 1pm to 7pm at the Avalon Theater, dancers and friends will take part in a mini THON event to raise funds and awareness for Four Diamonds and the Mattel Children’s Hosptial at UCLA. Just like THON, dancers have been raising funds all year long to participate in this awesome event.

We spoke with Trevor Kress and Janet Markman, two members of the LCC Board of Directors, about the upcoming event. Kress handles communications and marketing while Markman tackles in-kind donations and dancer relations.

Kress looked back on his favorite memory thus far, as he’s been a part of the event since its inception. “It’s got to be when we broke $100,00 last year, “ he said, “To think this was just an idea in our minds five years ago to now being a six-figure event. We hit a major milestone last year that proved our event as the real deal.”

Markman added her sentiments about this major mark in saying “…it just felt absolutely amazing knowing that we are still going strong and truly are making a difference for the families battling pediatric and young adult cancer.”

In regards to this year’s marathon, there’s a ton to look forward to. Markman is in charge of putting together the robust silent auction (which will include mobile bidding this year so that those not in attendance can participate) which includes things like tickets to see Jimmy Kimmel and Ellen Degeneres to beach packages and sunglasses.

As the event takes place in the heart of Hollywood, local celebrities are welcome to walk the red carpet. In years past, famous faces like Lamorne Morris (famous for his role as Winston on FOX’s New Girl) and Ian Harding (AKA Ezra Fitz from Pretty Little Liars) have joined in on the fun. Oh, and remember Aaron Samuels? (Of course you do.) Jonathan Bennett of Mean Girls fame was one of LCC’s celebrity ambassadors in 2015. And don’t forget our favorite emcee – Devon Werkheiser, then Ned of Ned’s Declassified, now singer-songwriter, as well as son of Penn State alum/LCC Executive Director Gary Werkheiser – will be there to keep up the energy and motivation for dancers and attendees.

Of course our favorite VIPs are the ones who benefit from events like this. Why does Kress stay involved? “It’s for the kids,” he says, “They need a voice. They need our support. They need everything that we can give them to conquer this disease.”

Markman stays involved for a few different reasons. She was heavily involved in THON during her time at Penn State, so much so that she was inspired to continue her education to help the fight – this June, she’ll be finishing up her PhD in cancer research and translational medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

She added, “While at Penn State…I got to see so many families celebrating the end of treatment, but an even more sobering number of families just starting their fight, and even worse, those that lost the battle…When I found out about the Hollywood Dance Marathon started by some Penn State alumni, I just knew I had to be involved.”

There are still tickets available for the 5th annual Hollywood Dance Marathon, and anyone is welcome. The high-energy dance party event starts at 1pm on Saturday, April 2nd and ends at 7pm.

​Follow along with the fun on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. For more information, check out their website by clicking here or send an email to [email protected].