Spring Break
Alternative strategies for surviving HuskyTHON
Becky Radolf
Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: Focus
Staying awake for 18 hours straight is no easy task. Throw constant dancing into that equation, and you have a sleep-deprived, fatigued and cranky UConn student competing at HuskyTHON. You could go into the event hopped up on caffeine, but those effects are bound to wear off eventually. How do you plan to keep your legs from failing you during the wee hours of the morning? Here are a few unconventional suggestions to keep yourself movin' and groovin' throughout the night.
Strip Down
There's nothing quite like a cool breeze hitting bare skin to shock the system into high gear. Feeling cozy and comfortable is a recipe for dozing off, so as soon as you start to feel those pangs of exhaustion, strip your clothes off. How far should you take this advice? Consider that judges might not appreciate a dancer parading around in their birthday suit, but do what you've got to do. It's a competition, dammit!
Copy Other People's Sweet Dance Moves
You can only do the Soulja Boy dance and that horrendous attempt at the Harlem Shake so many times. When hour 13 rolls around, you might find yourself repeating a move or two. At that point, shamelessly copy a snazzy move you see someone else perform, and then execute it to utter perfection. Spend the next few hours meticulously mastering the precise hand and feet movements of your future masterpiece. When the time is right, unveil to the competition what you've created: unrivaled HuskyTHON excellence.
Slap Yourself Silly
People may question the sanity of someone forcefully slapping his or her own face to stay awake, but you're a HuskyTHON dancer and you're not concerned with the opinions of your competition. The stinging pain of a sharp slap square on your cheek will naturally stimulate your senses, sending you into a temporary dancing frenzy. The more tired you feel, the harder you should slap. Drawing blood? Tone it down a little, there are kids around.
Secretly Compete With Those Around You
Strip Down
There's nothing quite like a cool breeze hitting bare skin to shock the system into high gear. Feeling cozy and comfortable is a recipe for dozing off, so as soon as you start to feel those pangs of exhaustion, strip your clothes off. How far should you take this advice? Consider that judges might not appreciate a dancer parading around in their birthday suit, but do what you've got to do. It's a competition, dammit!
Copy Other People's Sweet Dance Moves
You can only do the Soulja Boy dance and that horrendous attempt at the Harlem Shake so many times. When hour 13 rolls around, you might find yourself repeating a move or two. At that point, shamelessly copy a snazzy move you see someone else perform, and then execute it to utter perfection. Spend the next few hours meticulously mastering the precise hand and feet movements of your future masterpiece. When the time is right, unveil to the competition what you've created: unrivaled HuskyTHON excellence.
Slap Yourself Silly
People may question the sanity of someone forcefully slapping his or her own face to stay awake, but you're a HuskyTHON dancer and you're not concerned with the opinions of your competition. The stinging pain of a sharp slap square on your cheek will naturally stimulate your senses, sending you into a temporary dancing frenzy. The more tired you feel, the harder you should slap. Drawing blood? Tone it down a little, there are kids around.
Secretly Compete With Those Around You
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