Twelve hours can seem like a long time to be in one place, yet, with the work of the NOVAdance entertainment team, 12 is going to feel like one.
The NOVAdance entertainment team consists of senior Ryenn Engles, junior Annie Carr, and sophomores Ashley Fahey and Dylan Cahill.
There will be multiple different ways to stay engaged throughout the entire 12 hours, whether that be watching a group performance or playing Wii with a B+ Hero.
“We try to incorporate as many student groups on campus as possible,” Carr said. “We tried to reach out to as many as possible, a cappella teams, cheer teams, anyone who could have a performance, and all of the ones that responded and seemed willing to, we tried to incorporate them.”
A cappella groups, a student band The Bench Stealers, the cheer team, Nova Noise, Villanova Irish Step Dancing and more will be coming together to perform and spread joy during the dance marathon.
In addition to performers, all attendees will get to learn a dance themselves: the line dance. Throughout the dance marathon, every hour, on the hour, dancers will line up to perform the 2025 line dance.
“We initially started by going through happy, up beat songs,” Fahey said. “There is also Hero-requested songs.”
This year’s line dance was choreographed with the hope of engagement and increasing excitement among the crowd.
“I’m really excited to hear all the laughter,” Fahey said. “We have a leap frog in our dance this year, so very excited for that.”
The entertainment team has activities throughout the 12 hours that match varying energy levels.
“By theming the hours, it kind of gives us a good way to lay out what section we are doing things during the day, what activity would fit in what theme,” Carr said. “We know there might be a [decrease in energy] around this time, so we want to really keep everything upbeat or do something really powerful or meaningful during that hour, so that we know that people stay engaged in the day of, and still be very excited.”
In order to start off the day strong, the entertainment team is kicking off the morning with movement.
“We are starting off the morning with Zumba and Movin’ and Grovin’,” Cahill said. “Getting people ready and stretched out and pumped up for the day.”
From then on, the Entertainment Team will make hourly appearances to lead the line dance. The entertainment team has been working since the beginning of the year to plan out all the activities: ranging from the performers to the cornhole games.
Some of the most memorable moments come from time spent with Heroes and their families during the dance marathon.
“During Hero Hour my freshman year I sat with one of our Heroes’ older sisters,” Engles said. “We had the best time, she was kind of telling me her experience of being a sibling of someone with childhood cancer, and it was really an emotional connection that we ended up making, and it was really sweet. I think that is when I realized there’s families who are also going through something and it’s not just our Heroes, and their families are also just as important to be supported.”
The different hours of the day are meant to strike up memories and cause enjoyment that will form amazing memories associated with NOVAdance 2025.
Whether one gets on stage and performs or plays basketball with a Hero, the entertainment, games and fun is what shapes the NOVAdance experience.
