Dance gala organised to raise fund for dancer diagnosed with cancer
- Ikuko
- Aug 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 26, 2024
A dance gala performance will take place later in August in Switzerland to raise fund for Lisa Horten-Skilbrei, who has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Lisa has been a dancer of the Ballet Basel since 2017. In March 2024, the 27-year old Norwegian dancer was diagnosed with stage 4 CUP cancer, according to her Gofundme page. CUP stands for cancer of unknown primary. It means that "cancer spread has been found in your body (secondary cancer), but your doctors can't find where the cancer started (the primary cancer)," according to Cancer Research UK.
The gala, Strength and Grace Benefit, will take place on 18th August at Theater Basel in Basel. The performance will start at 15:00, with doors opening one hour earlier. It will be livestreamed for Lisa, who cannot attend the event in person. All proceeds will go towards Lisa’s medical expenses and comfort care. The organiser's website also states it aims to raise enough fund for Lisa to reunite with her family in Norway.
The gala will feature excerpts and new works by renowned choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Iratxe Ansa & Igor Bacovich, Bobbi Jene Smith, Alexander Ekman, Hofesh Shechter, Thomas Martino, Alba Castillo, Bryan Arias, Armando Braswell, Rachelle Anais Scott, Richard Wherlock, Javier Rodríguez Cobos, Marcelino Libao, Ricardo Fernando, Cathy Marston, and Garrett Smith.
Dancers from Ballett Basel, Ballett Zurich, Ballet de l’Opera de Lyon, the Hamburg Ballet, Ballett Augsburg, the Braswell Arts Center, Aterballetto will perform at the gala, along with freelance dance artists.
To book tickets, email contact@strengthandgracebenefit.com
For more details about the gala, click here.
To donate through her Gofundme page, click here. The image above is taken from the Instagram account of @strength.and.grace.benefit
Personal note: I do not know Lisa personally. However, as a small part of the dance community, I have made a small donation via Gofundme.
Image courtesy of Strength and Grace Benefit.
