The international arts community has united to support Lisa Horten-Skilbrei, a beloved dancer from Ballett Basel who has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. In response, Jorge García Pérez and a devoted group of organizers and friends have assembled the Strength and Grace Benefit, a special dance gala in her honor. This event will feature performances by dancers from Basel and around the world, celebrating Lisa’s artistry and the power of dance.
Lisa has been living in Basel since she arrived to dance at the Ballet Basel in 2017. She has been a powerful force for dance in this city and has been stopped in her tracks with the rapid and aggressive onset of her illness. Basel has been her beloved artistic home, but her family is in Norway. Our goal is to raise enough funds to enable Lisa to return home with her family. In her condition, this is an expensive and complex procedure.
The benefit will take place on August 18th at 15:00 (doors open at 14:00) at the Schauspielhaus at Theater Basel (Steinentorstrasse 7), with all proceeds going towards Lisa’s medical expenses and comfort care. Although Lisa is unable to attend due to her condition, the event will be live-streamed, allowing her to witness the love and support from her extended dance family.
The gala will feature excerpts and new works by choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Iratxe Ansa & Igor Bacovich, Bobbi Jene Smith, Alexander Ekman, Hofesh Shechter, Thomas Martino, Alba Castillo, Bryan Arias, Armando Braswell, Rachelle Anais Scott, Richard Wherlock, Javier Rodríguez Cobos, Marcelino Libao, Ricardo Fernando, Cathy Marston, and Garrett Smith.
Joining dancers from Ballett Basel, artists from Ballett Zurich, Bern Ballett, Ballet de l’Opera de Lyon, Hamburg Ballet, Ballett Augsburg, Braswell Arts Center, Aterballetto and artists from the freelance dance scene will perform in the benefit gala as a symbol of the wider dance community’s support for Lisa in her fight against cancer. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our generous supporters: Theater Basel, Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Roxy Theater and the numerous donors. Their invaluable contributions and passionate support have been instrumental in making this event possible. Their involvement is an example of the unity and compassion of our community as we come together to support one of our own dancers during this challenging time. This gathering not only honors Lisa’s contributions to dance but also exemplifies the strength and grace of the human spirit in facing life’s challenges.
The community is encouraged to participate, by attending the event in Basel, or contributing to the GoFundMe page (https://gofund.me/dbf168f9).
For those sharing the event on social media, please use the hashtag #StrengthandGraceBenefit and Follow us @strength.and.grace.benefit on Instagram.
Check out our website www.strengthandgracebenefit.com.
More info about Lisa:
https://www.theater-basel.ch/de/ensemble-team/lisahortenskilbrei
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_horten/
