Dance Marathons

During my first year at UBC, I lived in Totem Park residence. After growing up in a small northern town, I was eager to get an inside view of some of the more exotic aspects of campus life.

Among the activities I enjoyed most were the dance marathons. These were were held at SUB, the then-new Student Union Building. Dancing to live bands went on all night. For those who needed to sit down for awhile, horror movies were shown simultaneously in the theatre downstairs.

For the intrepid dancers who lasted the whole night, there was a pancake breakfast. The pancakes and coffee provided a pleasant fuel for the short morning walk back to the dorms and my bed.

At the time, I had no idea about the checkered history dance marathons. Even when the movie came out, I didn't watch They Shoot Horses, Don't They. The title put me off; I loved horses.

Then a couple of years ago, a friend and I were driving through the valley and she started telling me about the dance marathons that happened during the dirty thirties, and about the idea she had for a story about those poor people who danced till they dropped, hoping for a little cash. It would be a kids' book, she said. The title she had planned was Elsie and the Silver Rain.

Silver Rain, by Lois Peterson, was published this year. I attended the October launch, which was held at Arthur Murray Dance Studio in White Rock, to hear Lois read and to watch some dancers perform the samba and the tango, dances popular at the time of the marathons.