Submitted by: Onco-Ballet Foundation
Written by: Anna Wassman Cox
Thanks to the rise of efficacy in modern medicine, more people are surviving and thriving through their cancer journey. However, there is still a lack of supportive integrative oncology programs that include the expressive arts, like ballet and dance.
Onco-Ballet Foundation’s founder, Anna Wassman Cox, experienced the hope and healing of her own return to ballet during her second cancer treatment as a way to return to her core self. The ability of the graceful movement to express what words cannot is a gift she sought to share with other cancer patients. Anna saw a unique and original opportunity to create an inclusive environment for others to foster healing and build community through ballet, and has provided no-cost classes to 500 local participants in Orange County since founding Onco-Ballet Foundation in 2023.
Orange County is home to several elite ballet training academies and esteemed performing arts venues, however, there are no truly welcoming and inclusive spaces for recreational dance classes for adults, much less for restorative or healing dance practices for those facing cancer. Onco-Ballet has reimagined ballet from its roots and redefined it to be more inclusive through three core pillars to emphasize ballet for all: expression over perfection, all bodies are welcomed, and the prioritization of safety and trust during classes.
Through Anna’s vision, Onco-Ballet has created an opportunity for 2,000 participants across the USA to move, heal, and connect with others who are sharing in their journey. The infusion of expressive arts in Orange County has gotten attention and coverage including ABC7, CBS Los Angeles, OCBJ, Orange Coast Magazine, NBC, Playbill, The Drew Barrymore Show, and The Jennifer Hudson Show. We will have a second article coming out again soon in the LA Times, OC Daily Pilot. Not only has the public learned about Anna’s vision of ballet for healing and ballet for all; medical scholarship has also invited Onco-Ballet to participate in current research through the Jameel Arts Health Lab, and Healing Arts New York. Anna has created this “missing link” between integrative oncology programs and expressive arts. Onco-Ballet is also now a core integrative oncology program at local Orange County hospitals, Hoag Hospital entering its fourth year in their healing arts program, and at MemorialCare entering its second year with plans on expansion from the Saddleback Laguna Hills location into MemorialCare’s Fountain Valley and Long Beach locations.
Onco-Ballet Foundation is the first of its kind - this unique opportunity for participants to enroll in classes in the same hospital where they are seeking world-class treatment can transform their relationship through holistic care for the whole person, both body and spirit. Last year, one of our new participants at MemorialCare began Onco-Ballet at the beginning of her cancer treatment. Week by week the side effects began taking their toll, and on one of her hardest weeks, the week she lost her hair, she showed up to Onco-Ballet class to help her feel supported and beautiful in this challenging time. Between our Onco-Ballet community showing up to support her as many of our participants have also been subject to losing their hair, including our founder, Anna Wassman, so helping cheer her on, connect with her body in this challenging time, and move through the feelings of loss that accompany cancer, to help her feel beautiful and whole again. Even in the midst of cancer treatment, Onco-Ballet provides solace to those in the thick of treatment.
Less tangibly, and perhaps equally meaningful, is the community of dancers fostered by Onco-Ballet’s signature classes and performing opportunities. Dancing alongside others prevents feelings of loneliness or hopelessness after receiving a cancer diagnosis. The camaraderie forged by each ensemble lasts far beyond the final bow. Onco-Ballet dancers from the 2024 and 2025 productions are still regularly hosting dinner parties, and sharing about their daily lives in group chats, and reconnect with each other in Onco-Ballet classes. The cohorts formed through movement as healing are communities of trust, and understanding. The friendships forged between Onco-Ballerinas (as they call themselves) is evidence of the truly transformative approach of creating a space in which those facing cancers can connect, commiserate, and be creative through this major life moment.
Each dancer we welcome on stage is a cancer patient, survivor or thriver themselves, many with little to no dance or ballet experience. Onco-Ballet brings the cancer community together over 12-weeks for this goal-oriented community building performances, to share a professional and authentic experience of performing together on stage to bring hope, community and joy to the stage. While there have been many pieces about cancer or honoring the cancer experience in the past, there have never been exclusive works danced by an all cancer patient cast.
During the inaugural Onco-Ballet community performance in 2025, a string quartet from Pacific Symphony performed alongside our world premiere of the Healing Power of Touch. After seeing how meaningful this was to our Onco-Ballet dancers, we believe in bringing more live music opportunities both to the stage and into the studio or hospital to accompany our dancers with live music to further support their healing through expressive arts.
Onco-Ballet’s approach to supporting the cancer community believes in collaboration with fellow non-profit partners to all work together to support the cancer community in new and innovative ways. As Onco-Ballet continues to grow, we have found partnerships like our MemorialCare one incredibly impactful and we hope to make it even more impactful by bringing in live music to both our classes and our performance experiences partnering with The Center for Music and Wellness, who leverages the transformative and healing power of music to improve quality of life for individuals facing physical, mental health, neurodevelopmental, and socioeconomic barriers to supportive services and community connection. If selected for this year’s NPD event we would love to foster collaboration between Onco-Ballet, MemorialCare, and the Center for Music and Wellness to the Soka University stage to share how the together we can do more to serve the cancer community through meaningful partnerships to bring the expressive arts into the lives of those impacted by cancer.
Onco-Ballet is still in its nascent stages, with the foundation being formally launched 3 years ago. Our only full-time staff member is our Founder & Executive Director. As with many newer nonprofits, Anna wears over a dozen hats and is still in the thick of manual processes and setting up protocols, and is still positioned as the primary point of communication for dancers, families, vendors, sponsors, Board Members, potential donors, building and training new teachers in our Onco-Ballet Curriculum, and more. Thanks to Anna’s vision and grit, Onco-Ballet has grown its public visibility and brand recognition, and has served 2,000 participants across four locations in Orange County, the Bay Area, New York City, and most recently, Houston, TX.
It is also exciting to be on the forefront of “art as medicine”. With more holistic approaches to healthcare finding footing in mainstream Western medicine, the efforts of art-infused therapy efforts such as Onco-Ballet are starting to be included in broader studies and initiatives to propel “art pharmacy” practices to the forefront. Onco-Ballet performers participated in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Arts & Healing Week 2025 through the Jameel Arts Health Lab. While these efforts are still in their early stages, it is very encouraging to be included in this new intersection of arts and healing.
While Onco-Ballet may be in early stages of development, in a short period of time we have been able to grow on a shoestring budget, by thinking creatively, serving the community in the way that is meaningful, partnering with aligned non-profits, and making an impact directly in the lives of those facing cancer. This is only the beginning of Onco-Ballet and we know with time we will continue to grow.
Philanthropy as vision is exactly what Onco-Ballet stands for, and we have made our vision clear for how we will support the cancer community through ballet inspired movement, community, and expressive arts programming, and with more time and resources we will be able to make an even bigger impact today in the lives of those facing cancer. In a world with more people surviving cancer more than ever, we know they need support and we want to be that support today. Onco-Ballet makes that direct impact in their lives to support them through active treatment, into survivorship, by helping them fully express themselves, their lived experiences, and find their way back to their “new normal”.
