MORRIS COUNTY — On Monday, April 29 the Children’ Brain Tumor Family Foundation (CBTFF) and the Dance Academy of North Jersey (DANJ) are joining together to present an evening of song and dance to shine a light on the fight against pediatric brain tumors.
The Glimmer of Hope fundraiser will be held at the beautiful Bickford Theater in the Morris Museum, and will feature performances from a variety of talented singers and dancers from some of Broadway’s hottest shows, and premier dance companies in New York, New Jersey and beyond.
The current line-up includes:
Austen Bohmer – Currently appearing off-Broadway in Days of Rage
Scott Coulter – Long-time award-winning NYC Cabaret singer
Blair Goldberg – Kinky Boots, Annie Get Your Gun
The Jam Project – Award winning tap ensemble, seen last season on World of Dance
Blaine Krauss – Currently appearing in The Cher Show, previously in Kinky Boots
Jess LeProtto – Hello, Dolly!, Cats, Newsies, So You Think You Can Dance
Leo Manzari – Tap dancer, musician, actor – appeared on Homeland (Season 6)
Madison Moore – Former Miss Kansas Teen USA (2016)
Malerie Moore & Diego Garcia – appearing through the courtesy of The Milwaukee Ballet II
Kimber Sprawl – A Bronx Tale, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Jaclyn Walsh & Brandon Koepsell – alumni of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts
Aidan Wolf – Joffrey Ballet School
In addition, guests will be treated to award-winning performances from dancers with For Dancers Only from Little Falls, NJ, the MPAC Performing Arts Company of Morristown, the Montclair State University Department of Theater and Dance, and the DANJ.
The Emcee is Troy Moore, owner of MadiMali homes. Moore is a designer, actor, dancer and local celebrity from Kansas City who has been featured on HGTV and in multiple design publications.
Standard admission to this unique fundraising event is $50, with VIP tickets available for $125. VIP ticket purchases will include premium seat selection in the theater and a complimentary cocktail hour held at the Morris Museum provided by one of the event sponsors, Rails Steakhouse and executive chef Frank Falivene.
Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor found in children, and the most fatal. The Children’s Brain Tumor Family Foundation is committed to supporting research that will change those statistics. The CBTFF was founded in 2015 by families united in tragedy and heartbroken from the experience of watching their children and loved ones battle this devastating diagnosis. One of those founding members and the chairman of the Glimmer of Hope event is Brenda Ries from TEAMSean.
TEAMSean was formed in 2012, as friends and family came together to support Sean Ries of Parsippany, New Jersey who was born on Valentine’s Day, 2007 and was diagnosed a week before his 5th birthday on February 6th, 2012, with a large dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET) in the left side of his brain. The next day he underwent the first of three brain surgeries he would have that year. In 2017, he faced a relapse of his tumor.
Now, in 2019, seven years, four brain surgeries and 30 rounds of radiation later, Sean is in the middle of his sixth-grade year at Brooklawn Middle School in Parsippany and while his remaining tumor is stable, he and his family continue to wage war against his diagnosis and work hard to support the research.
“We are thrilled and honored to have so many incredibly talented professionals take to the stage to help us raise awareness and support the tremendous research underway at the Children’s Brain Tumor Project” said Brenda Ries, TEAMSean, co-founder and treasurer of the CBTFF, “Not only is this guaranteed to be a breathtaking evening of song and dance, but it gives us all a glimmer of hope that we can get the support we need to find a cure for the children and families who receive the heartbreaking diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor.”
The VIP cocktail hour starts at 6:00 p.m. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and the performance will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets. Please contact Brenda@cbtff.org if you are interested in being a sponsor or have questions.
The Children’s Brain Tumor Family Foundation is a volunteer led 501(c)3 led by families impacted by pediatric brain tumors. The organization is dedicated to raising funds for the Children’s Brain Tumor Project which is a research effort at the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center, co-directed by Dr. Mark Souweidane and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield. The project is “powered by families” and significantly funded through donations made by the families, friends, and supporters of the children, teens and young adults who confront the heartbreaking diagnoses of rare and inoperable pediatric brain tumors.
The Dance Academy of NJ (DANJ) offers classes and programs for children starting at the age of two years and progressing through adulthood. Students may take one class per week, participate in a full curriculum, earn a spot on the competition team, or focus on preparing for university/conservatory programs or professional positions in dance companies and/or theater. Jason Luks, Artistic Director, leads an incredible team of dance educators from some of the most prestigious university-based and conservatory dance programs including NYU’s Tisch School of Arts, The Juilliard School, Ailey, Marymount Manhattan, UNC School of the Arts, the Broadway Dance Center and Steps. Many of them are also members of highly esteemed dance companies such as Keigwin + Co, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, The Phoenix Project Dance, Pilobolus, The Difference Between, Mark Morris, and others.
