Student Blog: The Dance That Changed My Life: NOVAdance 2026

Anythin9 can happen if you 8elieve.

This phrase could be heard ringing throughout campus at the end of March. On March 28, I participated in NOVAdance which is Villanova’s annual 12-hour dance marathon to raise money for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. The B+ Foundation provides financial support to families battling childhood cancer, and aims to relieve them of unnecessary stress so that they can focus on being present for their child. This year, we set an ambitious goal of raising $800,000. Through year-round fundraising initiatives, hope, and a miracle, we ended up raising a grand total of $931,000. The moment that the number 9 was raised on a white card is one that I will hold in my heart for the rest of my life.

Serving on the Entertainment Committee for NOVAdance was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. When I initially joined Committee last June, I was one of the youngest students in the room, and I thought that Entertainment’s job was just to choreograph the line dance that would be performed at the top of every hour during the marathon. I soon realized that our team of four was also responsible for ordering all of the day-of decor, writing the script for the full 12 hours, organizing this script into a minute-by-minute spreadsheet, enlisting entertainers to perform at the marathon, and so much more. Not to mention, NOVAdance 2026 was held at Cabrini University, which was a space that we were completely unfamiliar with.

As a performer, I am used to dealing with self doubt and comparison. During my first few months on Committee I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t deserve to be on Entertainment; I was entirely inexperienced when it came to being on Committee, and I didn’t understand any of the acronyms that they casually threw around. At the time, I only had one other marathon under my belt, and I wasn’t aware of all of the logistics that form the day-of. I had to hone into the theater side of my mind and fight imposter syndrome. 

Over time, I slowly started to understand why I was placed on Entertainment. I came alive when collaborating with my three other team members to choreograph the line dance. Additionally, I realized that my involvement in numerous performing arts organizations on campus would come in handy when it came to contacting entertainers. I ended up serving as the main point of contact on the day-of for the performing arts groups, helping communication run more smoothly.

March 28 was one of the most chaotic, yet beautiful days of my life. Amidst the coordination that goes into each second of NOVAdance, at the top of every hour, the Entertainment team, or, TASK as we fondly refer to ourselves (take the first letter of Theresa, Andrew, Sasha, and Katie), got the opportunity to pause and lead the entire gymnasium in the seven minute line dance. I have done a lot of performances in my life, but nothing will compare to looking out onto the crowd of dancers, all united by their passion for the cause. While the majority of dancers were students, throughout the day I also watched some of the B+ heroes dance along with us as well as siblings and parents of cancer patients that had passed. While the day is full of heavy emotions, at the top of each hour I got to help spread joy to everyone fighting the childhood cancer battle, and I made sure to not take a moment of the opportunity for granted.

While I love theater, involvement in organizations such as NOVAdance keeps me grounded and reminds me of the person that I want to be in this world. The theater industry is competitive, and oftentimes you are forced to duke it out against your peers for roles or positions. I found a family in NOVAdance that is based entirely on collaboration and supporting each other. The late nights spent at Cabrini with TASK truly felt like I was with the brothers and sisters that I never had. They constantly checked in on me, made sure that I had eaten and that I wasn’t ignoring my other life responsibilities. I left NOVAdance having been exposed to the definition of kindness: Committee members.

I tear up every time I even begin to describe March 28 to people. Unless they were in the room around 9:50pm, I don’t think that anyone will ever be able to fully understand the feeling that filled people's chests during the fundraising total reveal. In that moment I realized that I was part of something bigger: I was helping fight a battle that no family should ever have to endure. It further drove me to try my hardest to use any platform I am given for good and to create change for the better.

When approaching future auditions and performance opportunities, I firmly believe that I will hold tight to NOVAdance. No matter how tough the theater industry can get, there are people in the world facing such bigger issues than I am. If I can use my performance background to bring even a beam of light to these same peoples lives, how could I not jump at the chance?

It was one of my greatest honors to dance FTK (For The Kids). I don’t think any other dance will ever compare.