Tag: cancer

"World of Dance" Week 3 Recap: Back Where They Belong

In the wonderful world of reality-TV dance competitions, there’s perhaps nothing so wonderful as a comeback kid—the artist who, having danced their way to an elimination on a past season, is brave and passionate enough to return to that very same stage and prove their skill once again. And last night, we got the chance […]

Take the #DancerBeatingCancer Challenge to Benefit a Great Cause

At 11 years old, Cierra McCauley has already fought one of the hardest battles one can face—the battle against cancer. At age 6, Cierra was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. But having danced since she was 3, Cierra decided to continue dancing and ended up using it as a way to cope with her illness. Cierra […]

Dance Against Cancer Raised More than $243,000 for the American Cancer Society

“I’m dancing for my mother; performing for a cure.” Those were the words that began Dance Against Cancer’s 5th annual benefit on Monday night, before New York City Ballet principal Maria Kowroski took center stage. While brief, her performance of George Balanchine’s Mozartiana (an excerpt) left barely a dry eye in the theater—including a grieving […]

"I Am the Bald Ballerina"

At the beginning of 2014, Maggie Kudirka was living her dream. The lifelong dancer had just made it into NYC’s Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, a student company that she hoped would pave the way to a professional ballet career. But by summer, everything had changed: Maggie, just 23, discovered a lump in her left breast […]

Kyle Hanagami's Give Me Strength

In 2013, choreographer Kyle Hanagami started his Letters of Love campaign to help raise money for cancer research. For every 10 letters that Hanagami receives, he donates $1 to research. So far, over 30,000 people have sent in letters. This year, Hanagami had a very important announcement to make when he launched Letters of Love […]

This Dancer's Not Just Fighting Cancer—She’s Grand Jetéing Over It

Maggie Kudirka (photo © Lucas Chilczuk) Every so often, a dancer comes along who not only impresses us with her power on the dance floor, but also with her endurance and strength when she’s off it. Maggie Kudirka is one of those dancers. In June, after graduating with a BFA in dance from Towson University […]