Dinner is sandwiches. They were good at lunch, and have made nice between-tune munching, but somehow tuna and turkey on bulkies sound less appetizing now. Still, the half-hour break gives us a longer rest, and by this time we are hungry enough to eat anything.

The master of ceremonies announces two more goodies for the now utterly indifferent throng--one pound of David's Cookies and two more Sack Theater passes.

Rick James's "Super Freak" signals the end of dinner and the beginning of the sixth hour. Most dancers are now showing the effects of all the dance hours logged. Our feet hurt and our leg muscles beg for mercy, but like the climber who tackles the mountain "because it's there," we valiantly strive onward. Donna Summer's "Finger on the Trigger (Love is in Control)" propels us forward, though the minutes tick by more and more slowly.

At the halfway mark, an announcement that $13,000 has been raised provokes cheers from the dancers and the small contingent of Jefferson Park kids still present.

During the extended break, #25 wins $10 worth of wine and #260, no doubt in ecstasy, claims his new battery-operated pencil sharpener. The rest lie supine, giving each other an occasional back massage or other gesture of affection.

The second half of the marathon begins reinvigorating the dancers with new determination. Mr. Walkman, #284, dances with himself in front of a mirror and then plays air guitar and bass with a broom. At 7:30, music starts repeating, starting with "Rock the Casbah," "I Love Rock and Roll," and "Start Me Up."

Break number six comes and goes and dancers seem to be finding their second wind. A couple of slow tunes let us catch our breath and become acquainted with each other's sweat. #284 continues to party with Michael Jackson.

After eight hours of recorded tunes, live bands are scheduled to bring us through the home stretch. "Love Monsters," fresh from their victory in the Undergraduate Council's Battle of the Bands, open the last four hours and help rejuvenate our tired feet.

An announcement that Harvard is winning the hockey game against Yale comes as good news, though at this point we only feel the beat pulsating throughout our systems. We yearn for a beer to take the edge off our consciousness. But, as one organizer points out, "This is a benefit for little kids; it wouldn't be right to serve alcohol."

Hey, we're on television! This time it is a camera-toting bunch from WNEV, channel seven. We have been on WBZ and WCVB the Master of Ceremonies tells us. We are also getting our second, or maybe by this time our third, wind. Now, following Harvard's win on the ice, hockey fans drop by to boogie with us.

By 10:30, the Love Monsters really don't want to leave. "All I can do is kiss away the tears," they sing over and over again. But the dancers need a break, and Commissioner Gordon, the second of the three bands, needs time to set up.

The Jefferson Park kids are still in good spirits even though they have been hanging out for almost nine hours. Twelve-year-old Henry Cabarea tells us, "These are wacko people, totally freaky."

Mario Lopez, age 16, says he likes the view. "I walk around and look at the chicks. Harvard chicks are great." Fifteen-year-old Luis Laboy adds that he wants to go to Harvard in three years.

We ask him if he thinks Harvard people are elitist snobs. "No way man," he responds, adding, "They're good people. All of us come down to Harvard to buy stuff at the Coop."

Commissioner Gordon enters, blasting out the Romantics' "What I Like About You" and driving us into a New Wave frenzy. There's no resting now; no slow songs for a change of pace. "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show forces us once again to perform--this time it's a jump to the left, a step to the right, our hands on our hips, and our legs in tight. We all thrust our communal pelvises, though this time it hurts.