Pink Ribbons binds dancers to fight breast cancer.

NEW YORK CITY--When I was twelve years old, my mother took me aside. She looked at me solemnly and said, "There is a small lump in my breast that the doctors say they have to remove. It will involve an operation, but you shouldn't worry--I'll be fine." I trusted my mother implicitly. If she said not to worry, then I shouldn't worry. I went off to camp that summer like any kid. At worst, I envisioned a small scar on her chest like the one on the back of a friend after she had a mole removed.

When I returned from camp, my mother showed me the scar. To my horror, her entire left breast had vanished; in its place was a jagged red line, stretching from her collarbone to the bottom of her ribs. Eight hard-won, valiant years later, my mother died from breast cancer.

That is my personal story, heartbreaking to me, to lose my mother at the young and vital age of 45. But the sad truth is that this story is becoming increasingly common. Breast cancer has become a very real threat to women. The only weapons we have are awareness, education, and courage. The Pink Ribbons Project--Dancers in Motion for Breast Cancer is a group of dancer-activists that was founded on these principles, to promote public awareness and to help raise funds for research and education. From October 17 to 20, Pink Ribbons holds a series of concerts at Dance Theater Workshop in New York City to benefit the efforts of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) for breast cancer prevention, education, and research.

The founders of Pink Ribbons, Sara Hook, David Parker, Robin Staff, and Jane Weiner, have been profoundly affected by breast cancer, especially Weiner, Parker, and Hook. Weiner's sister and Parker's mother are breast cancer survivors. Hook's sister, Melanie, discovered she had breast cancer in 1984 at the age of 30. She died in 1988 at age 34.

"I don't think that anything helps me cope," says Hook, who is now 34, "but the Pink Ribbons Project gives me an avenue for some of the energy and anger.... Awareness is our mission, inspiring other communities to do benefits such as this. We want to place breast cancer at the forefront of the national public agenda."

Hook bemoans that many think of breast cancer as affecting only older women, and that it is often assumed that if diagnosed early enough, it is treatable. "That's not always the case," she says. "It can also be a deadly disease for younger women, who statistically have slightly lower survival rates." The dance community, filled with young women, is thus a prime target for Pink Ribbons. "There are a lot of young women who, because they are dancers, have a false sense of security about their health because they are in good shape," Hook points out. In addition, she says, young dancers as a population are underinsured. "We want to bring it to their attention that breast cancer is something to take personally."

The fourth and final benefit performance of the fall event, October 20, will be followed by a symposium on breast cancer awareness. Survivors will tell their stories and answer questions. Also taking part will be oncologist Bonnie Reichman. The panel will be moderated by Amy Langer, executive director of NABCO. Later this year, students from several New York City performing arts schools will be invited to a similar symposium and performance. "We want to reach out to students and make them activists, so they in turn can reach out to their communities," says Hook.

Performers at the October benefit include Elizabeth Streb, Peggy Baker, Shapiro and Smith, Irene Hultman, Meredith Monk, Dan Hurlin, Ralph Lemon, and Susan Marshall. DTW, which has donated the space, will also host a gallery show and auction for the entire month of October. It features art and memorabilia donated by Bill T. Jones, Robert LaFosse, Sean Curran, Gretchen Bender, Doug Elkins, and many others.

Hook also hopes the benefit performances and other Pink Ribbons activities will help enlist women in the effort to lobby for more government support for breast cancer research. The American Cancer Society recommends having mammograms every one to two years, starting at age forty. According to ACS literature, other health organizations, including the federal National Cancer Institute, have not been able to agree on screening recommendations for women under fifty. This, Hook says, is partly because of inadequate research data.

Hook, whose sister did conduct monthly breast self-examinations, stresses that better vigilance by women is not the only necessary step. "We have to get more money to find out about this disease. We have some effective treatments, but so far we don't have anything that could remotely be considered a cure."