The Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation (CLCRF) regrets to announce the cancellation of Dance for A Cure for 2018. Due to lack of registrations, the event will be unable to take place on Sunday 18 November.
The event was set to raise funds for Telethon and CLCRF, a charity that funds research into cancers that affect children and their families. Childhood cancer is the single greatest cause of death from disease in Australian children, with three losing their lives to cancer every week.
Event organiser Kylie Dalton is disheartened by the event outcome stating that sadly to make the event successful, so many more registrations were needed.
“It takes a long time and a lot of people to put an event like this on, so when we are faced with a situation like this it breaks all of our hearts. I am just devastated for the dancers and the families that did register early, and have been practising to get their steps right. I know we will find a way for Dance for A Cure to come back, just maybe not in this format. I want to personally thank my volunteer team that have worked alongside of me to get us to this point and gratefully know you will come back to help with whatever we do next.”
Refunds are being offered to all registrants. An email has been sent out to all that registered, explaining the process for either seeking a refund or donating their registration cost to CLCRF. Information regarding this process can also be found on the Dance for A Cure website: danceforacure.com.au.
CLCRF Chief Executive Officer, Andrea Alexander is grateful for the efforts of all involved in putting together this event.
“We would like to thank all of the volunteers that have invested hours into Dance for A Cure and we share their disappointment and sadness that it was unable to go ahead. Thanks also to our sponsors who once again supported this event, we hope to work with them again in the future on other projects.”
The Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation sincerely apologise for the cancellation, and hope that your support for the charity will continue. With your contribution, CLCRF can continue making a difference in the lives of children and families struggling with cancer.
Should you have further questions about this event cancellation, please contact event organisers.
Dance For A Cure is an event that raises funds for the Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation. Taking place on Sunday 18 November in Forest place, this event is for the dancer in all of us. The theme this year is superheroes, so get your cape on and register now on the Dance For A Cure website.
Around The Sound spoke to the Dance For A Cure’s coordinator, Kylie Dalton.
Kylie Dalton is a superhero. It’s a crown that doesn’t rest well on this unassuming woman. She doesn’t wear the outward mantle, there’s no cape or amulets, no showiness at all, but spend a few moments with Dalton and you know what it’s like to be caught up in her passion and urgency to create change and better lives for the people around her.
Dalton is the coordinator of Dance For A Cure, a yearly event that has been running since 2012 to raise funds for the Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation. The clue is in the name. Each year, Dalton organises an event where people come together to dance and raise funds for the Foundation.
“If you only do one thing for charity this year, this should be the one.”
Here are all the reasons why.
It’s fun… “It’s just fun. It’s so much fun!” says Dalton. As a committed non-dancer, even I’m warming up to the idea of joining in at this point in our conversation. This is a woman how knows how to generate enthusiasm.
“Dance for a Cure has grown from a flash mob I did in 2012. I had somebody approach me wanting to do this flash mob in honour of a young lady that passed away from leukaemia, and I was like, ‘I can help you with that!’ Me being me, I don’t do anything by halves; I found out later, after I’d organised the event that she was thinking about 25 people, something really small, and 700 people turned up!”
“That first year, everybody had so much fun. There was so much joy on people’s faces.”
… But it’s not a fun run … “The whole reason I started Dance For A Cure, is I hate fun runs. I hate getting up at five in the morning and everybody does fun runs and bike treks, so I thought how do we put music and dance together with something that is so fundamentally important to everyone, and that is families that are going through childhood cancer. There are so many of them, it’s the most prolific of childhood deaths.”
… And, the serious part, it’s for the kids. As she begins to speak about her connection with the Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation and the families and children that she works with, those directly affected by cancer, Dalton immediately begins to well up.
“My motivation is that I work with kids that go through cancer. If I can’t find some joy for them then what are we doing? And, it’s because they can’t that we should.”
“Nobody tells the family’s story, the constant struggle. They might be in remission, but they might end up back in hospital the next day, or the next week, or the next year. And it also doesn’t mean that they then don’t have a lifetime of complications from the chemotherapy. We’ve got people that have liver damage, there are so many affects from the drugs used. They might have fought cancer and effectively won, but have they really? Their whole life is affected.”
At this point, Dalton excuses herself and leaves the table so that she can compose herself. This is the serious end of the conversation, the part where I learn that, behind the aura of fun, the can-do approach to her life and work, Dalton is a woman whose humanity runs deep. After a few moments, she returns to our table, continues where she’s left off, the steel in her eyes glistening with residue of her tears.
“It’s a lifetime diagnosis, because the treatment protocols that the kids are getting at the moment are for adults and they just adjust it based on dosage and not necessarily on what a child’s body can cope with. Children’s Leukaemia, since I’ve known them, have been funding research on how to change the protocols. They’re so close to clinical trials, but it just takes funding. We’re this close to finding solutions to being able to lessen the harm on the bodies of children.”
“When they become cancer free for five years they then spend the rest of their lives dealing with what it’s [chemotherapy] done to their body, their livers, their kidneys, their bones, their teeth, their eyesight, their hearing, their learning ability. So, yes, they might have no more cancer in their body, but they are in and out of hospital for their rest of their lives dealing with the after effects. If we can find a better way for the treatment protocols that we have now to work for kids, or targeted therapy, their outcomes could improve exponentially, and they can live much better lives than they’re living right now. So, that’s my motivation.”
There’s not really much more that needs to be said, except to share the logistics.
The event is being held on Sunday 18 November in Forest Place from 9.30 am – 12.00 pm (no early starts). Registration is via the Dance For A Cure website.
The theme this year is superheroes.
“This year, we’re doing a superhero dance. So many kids are being pulled out of remission and going back to treatment at the moment, which is really, really heartbreaking, because I work with the kids. We’ve done yellow T-shirts, which is the childhood cancer colour. This year I wanted to do something different. All the kids love to wear superhero outfits, so let’s get everybody dressed up in superhero costumes, or hero costumes, whoever your hero might be. Our volunteer team chose Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ as the song for people to dance to, so it will have wide appeal having been on the Shrek soundtrack and being first released when the parents were a bit younger.”
If you’re thinking of going (you definitely should), here’s a photo of Kylie Dalton. If you don’t have a superhero costume, just come along as Kylie, she all the superhero you’ll ever need.
One final thing. If you’re mortally afraid of dancing, don’t be.
“Don’t get bogged down on knowing the steps or learning the steps. It’s about supporting an incredible charity, that’s a West Australian charity, that funds research at the Telethon Kid’s Institute, which is where all of the money raised goes.”
“The biggest things it that Dance for a Cure encompasses the whole community so, whatever way you want to be involved, you can be involved. There’s no barriers to it.”
“We’ve filmed all of the public dance piece and all the choreography is broken down into sections and it’s all online for people to be able to do.”
On Sunday 18 November at 9:30am, the City of Perth will be awash with choreographed vibrant dancing from hundreds of families in Forest Place to raise vital funds and awareness for Telethon and help fight a cancer that is still the leading cause of death from disease in Australian children.
Individuals and families are being encouraged to dress up as their favourite hero — whether that’s a superhero such as Spiderman, Superman and Wonder Woman, their favourite sports star or anyone in their lives that they see as a hero — and learn a short, easy to follow, and fun routine.
In its fifth year, Dance for A Cure has always left participants thrilled, inspired and eager to keep dancing.
The event has raised almost $80,000 for Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation (CLCRF) to continue their important ground-breaking research so that future generations of children will be the ones to live cancer free.
Experienced choreographer Ashanti Suriyam from The Dance Workshop has crafted this year’s routine to Bonnie Tyler’s chart topping hit, Holding Out for a Hero, for the public to learn before the big day.
A rehearsal will take place the week before on Sunday 11 November at Lathlain Oval, Lathlain.
Five other dance schools from across Perth will also be performing their own showcase routines before ‘exiting stage left’ for the general public to strut their stuff in their hero outfits.
Children’s TV star from the 80’s and Telethon Mascot Fat Cat will dust off his dancing paws and join in with the kids and adults for the main performance.
The routine choreography has been recorded and is available on the Dance for a Cure website — www.danceforacure.com.au — for participants to practice at home.
Dance for a Cure welcomes a brand new long-term partnership with Telethon and all funds raised from the event will be presented to Telethon to help ensure a better life for children facing this life threatening illness.
Event organiser Kylie Dalton said families and individuals that take part relish the unique experience.
“It has been my honour to organise this event for the families of Perth. My joy is seeing them dance and then hearing them want to do it all over again once the dance is done,” said Kylie.
“It makes all the planning and sleepless nights worth it. We need to keep this in the news so that people never stop looking for a cure to all childhood cancers. What we raise goes directly to our own WA Research projects.”
Individuals and families from all over Perth are strongly encouraged to register to be a part of this great event via the Dance for A Cure website: www.danceforacure.com.au.
THERE will be no immediate cause for alarm when a league of superheroes descends on Forest Place.
The heroes will fight the villain of childhood cancer at the fifth Dance For A Cure at 9.30am on Sunday, November 18.
All funds from the event will help Telethon ensure a better life for children facing the life-threatening illness.
Five Perth dance schools will perform a showcase before the public take centre stage in a routine to Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out For A Hero, choreographed by The Dance Workshop’s Ashanti Suriyam.
Individuals and families are encouraged to learn the short, easy-to-follow and fun routine from an online video and attend the event dressed as their favourite hero, be it superhero, sports star or personal hero.
Telethon’s Fat Cat will also dance in the main performance and there will be a rehearsal at Lathlain Oval on Sunday, November 11.
Event organiser Kylie Dalton said it was an honour to be part of Dance For A Cure.
“My joy is seeing them dance and then hearing them want to do it all over again once the dance is done,” Dalton said.
“It makes all the planning and sleepless nights worth it.
“We need to keep this in the news so that people never stop looking for a cure to all childhood cancers.
“What we raise goes directly to our own WA research projects,” she said.
Register and learn the routine at www.danceforacure.com.au.
In 2018 we are hoping to hold two Dance for A Cure events. The first may be an underage rave! We are still in negotiations for this event so bear with us while we set things up.
Secondly, we’re heading back to the general public dance event. We are moving to a new location (which we will announce once it’s locked in) and the date will hopefully be the 25th of November 2018.
As soon as we have everything confirmed we will announce the song, the theme and the structure. For now, please save the date. To keep in touch with the latest updates join our Dance for A Cure Facebook Group!
Children’s Leukaemia & Cancer Research Foundation Inc was awarded the Commbank Community Grant to the value of $9999. What a fantastic start to the Keep the Flame Alive project for 2014. Presentation will be at the CLCRF head office on 12th Sept 2014
Auditions are happening soon for the 150 spots as our special Ladybird dancers. Many young kids will have the privilege of not only dancing especially for Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research but they will be bringing in our Lord Mayor and other guest Dancers for PCC and Piazza locations on our dance event day.
Open auditions will be held on Sunday 23 February in two locations, north and south of the river. They will be held at 10am at Beverley Margaret School of Dance on Dixon Road in Rockingham and 3pm at Esteem Dance Studio in Wangara. They are open auditions and the cost will be $25 for the successful children as they will receive a ladybird costume they can keep along with a ribbon for their dance performance.
