Rehearsing her routine with the Purrfections dance team, senior Allie Ward prepares for the upcoming Brevard Dance for a Cure, which she will host for her senior project. The all-day fundraiser will take place in the Melbourne High School gymnasium on Jan. 26, featuring performances from local dance teams in support of breast cancer research and awareness. While the event has been a community staple since 2002, this marks its return after a four-year hiatus.
“My sister planned Dance for a Cure in 2016, and ever since she planned it, I knew that I wanted to do it when I was a senior,” Ward said. “I feel really passionate about the event and what it does. When I talked to my coach in ninth grade about bringing back Dance for a Cure, I was told it would be virtually impossible to do, so the fact that I’m able to bring back such an amazing event with an overwhelming amount of support behind me is a blessing.”
The last Dance for a Cure was in 2020. COVID closures barred the event from occurring in 2021 and has not continued since. West Shore alumna and Purrfections dance team coach Stephanie Griffin organized the 2013 Dance for a Cure during her own senior year.
“It started off super small,” Griffin said. “We hosted it at FIT my senior year and we kept it at FIT for a couple years. Unfortunately, they just wanted too much money and it became too much of a liability for us to have it at FIT and then COVID happened. Once COVID happened, we just couldn’t have it anymore, so I’m super excited Allie’s bringing it back, and I think Mel High is going to be the perfect space for us.”
Dance for a Cure was created in 2008 by former Palm Bay High School dance coach Daney Soto after her mother and Kitty Hatton, the owner of the largest Brevard dance supply store, were diagnosed with breast cancer. Soto is now the head coach at Dance Mania All-Stars in Melbourne.
“This was started to help some of the strongest women I know,” Soto said. “When we started Dance for a Cure, it was initially my seniors wanting to help me give back, especially with my mom having been diagnosed. She was young when she was diagnosed, and it was very unexpected. I was very close with Miss Kitty from Melbourne Dancewear, and we discovered that she had also been diagnosed. That just brought more light and perspective to the fact that you never know who’s fighting the fight.”
Soto said the showcase event was inspired by her experience before moving to Florida.
“I’m originally from Texas and we do showcases in Texas all the time as a fundraiser,” she said. “Every high school team would host a showcase and invite all the teams. Everybody would participate. I felt like it was a good way for people to show off their skills and to bring the dance community together. My graduating seniors and I talked about putting a showcase together for the county and inviting local high school teams and funds would go to breast cancer research and events. It was kind of my way to bring awareness and help from afar.”
Soto said she initially planned for Dance for a Cure to be a “one-and-done fundraiser,” but continued due to the support received from the community. She expected that the event would no longer continue once she stopped coaching at Palm Bay High School, until West Shore alumna Jennifer Garrido began the tradition of West Shore students hosting the event for their senior project in 2013.
“It definitely left a huge impression on me and even the girls that were on the team at the time because none of us thought it would grow,” Soto said. “It was a way to bring everyone together to showcase everyone’s hard work in their own way. For that one day, it didn’t matter where you were from or what you were specializing in or what your awards or accolades were. Everyone was there for the same reason. And that is essentially what dance is all about and that’s all I ever wanted. I feel like anything that helps promote dance and that’s for a good cause is a win-win for sure.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately one in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their life. Ward said this event has touched everyone involved, including local dancers and coaches affected by breast cancer.
Ward aims to reach her goal of $15,000 through ticket, T-shirt and bracelet sales in support of the cause.
“The girls each year choose a charity they want to donate to, so I chose two charities to divide the money between,” Ward said. “The first one is Driven by Heart, which is the biggest Brevard County breast cancer charity, and the second one is Complementary Cancer Care, which donates wigs to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are going through chemo.”
According to Ward, planning this fundraiser has not only provided her with heartfelt interactions, but also served as an opportunity for individual growth.
“I think it’s a very great learning experience learning how to manage time, formally write emails, and plan an event from virtually scratch since I’m bringing it back after four years,” Ward said. “I’m super excited that it’s able to be an event again after COVID and I can’t wait to see the younger girls on the dance team continue the tradition of planning Dance for a Cure.”
Ward has attended seven Dance for a Cure events, the first one being when her sister, Megan Ward, was a senior.
“She was involved and was there the day of and helped me set up,” Megan Ward said. “I’m sure that ever since then, especially going to West Shore and being on the dance team and doing the same things that I did when I was in high school, it was just always kind of on her radar. She’s such a philanthropic and caring person, so I know she has the heart for it too. Most of all, on top of just wanting to do something similar to her sister, I know she loves it and cares about it a lot. I think she’s honestly going to do even better than I did.”
Performers from the Nicole Cote School of Dance and the Melbourne High School Miracles are among the seven teams that have registered for the event.
“I think the dance teams that have done it in the past are all really excited to bring it back,” Griffin said. “I hope the community responds well because at the end of the day, we’re all just trying to come together to fight breast cancer and to bring awareness to this awful disease that has affected the dance community in a huge way.”
Ward said the occasion inspires solidarity among those involved.
“It’s definitely very moving to see the girls’ hard work in the end all come together and all the dancers are there together in unity,” Ward said. “There’s no competition, no studio trying to be better than another. The Dance for a Cure slogan is ‘One dance at a time, one life at a time.’ We’re all just there together to benefit breast cancer research and to fight for a cure.”
