Onco-Ballet is on pointe with inaugural teacher training in Laguna Hills

Orange County native Anna Wassman-Cox always knew ballet could spark joy. But it wasn’t until the two-time breast cancer survivor came back to dance after battling her illness that she realized ballet could heal.

Wassman-Cox is the founder and executive director of the Irvine-based Onco-Ballet Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free or low-cost ballet classes to the cancer community in order to “spark joy, facilitate healing and foster self-expression.”

“I created this ballet class that is super modifiable and approachable for anybody in the cancer community, to help them really tune out from what is going on around them while they are going through cancer and tune back into their bodies,” said Wassman-Cox.

Wassman-Cox was 25 years old when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She experienced a recurrence at the age of 29. As a former professional ballet dancer, she found herself drawn back to her most familiar form of expression.

“Sometimes, especially with something like cancer, you can’t always put everything in words,” said Wassman-Cox. “Dance is that way to express yourself without having to speak.”

2025 Onco-Ballet Teacher Cohort at V&T Classical Ballet & Dance Academy in Laguna Hills for a two-day workshop.

(Courtesy of Onco-Ballet Foundation)

Getting back to the barre inspired her to help other people to learn to use the discipline of ballet to feel strong again and regain confidence. By modifying true ballet techniques into chair ballet, for example, which can be done sitting down, or modifying movements for breast cancer survivors like herself who no longer have the same range of motion lifting their arms above their heads, she is creating a way for women to focus on what their bodies can do, rather than what they can’t.

“Our classes are structured where we make parts of it consistent so it’s the same every single time. That way they can build up that confidence and reach those goals,” said Wassman-Cox.

Ballet also brings in a level of whimsy for those who practiced it as young girls — or wanted to.

“It brings in that nostalgia and beauty aspect because who doesn’t want to feel like they are that ballerina they always dreamed of being?”

Since Wassman-Cox founded the Onco-Ballet Foundation in 2024, the organization has hosted classes locally at Hoag Hospital and in Chicago at Rush University Medical Center. It has also partnered with Movement Pointe for events.

Earlier this month, Onco-Ballet held its inaugural teacher training event, hosting aspiring dance teachers at V&T Classical Ballet & Dance Academy in Laguna Hills for a two-day workshop.

“Anytime I shared with people what we were doing or had new people come to class that had a dance background, they always expressed interest in wanting to help to teach,” said Wassman-Cox.

She organized a cohort of 15 instructors with dance backgrounds, ballet or otherwise, from New York, Chicago, Seattle and California to learn the unique Onco-Ballet curriculum.

“Forty percent of the attendees were cancer survivors themselves and 26% had been either caregivers or had someone very close to them go through cancer,” said Wassman-Cox.

Anna Wassman-Cox leads introductions with future Onco-Ballet teachers.

(Courtesy of Onco-Ballet Foundation)

While Wassman-Cox is an expert on curriculum, she tapped two other women as guest trainers to round out the workshop with additional knowledge. Director of the Creative Dance Center in Seattle Terry Goetz joined the training as did Marie Miao, an oncology clinical social worker and EMDR-certified therapist at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute and Kokoro Wellness.

“Marie brought in a whole series on trauma-informed ballet teaching for dancers with cancer,” said Wassman-Cox. “So that was wonderful to hear from a clinical stand point, how do you work with people who have faced trauma?”

Goetz is an expert on BrainDance and Brain-Compatible Dance Education, a teaching philosophy that takes a holistic approach to becoming a skilled dancer.

“That is is key to what we do, having that brain-body connection,” said Wassman-Cox.

The plan is for the teachers to take Onco-Ballet back to their communities where it can help cancer survivors promote movement and find emotional healing.

“This training is just one step in building a national network of instructors who will empower even more individuals affected by cancer through the joy of ballet.”

Another way Wassman-Cox is working to spread the word of the Onco-Ballet Foundation is through an upcoming performance planned for Oct. 19 at the Irvine Barclay Theater. The special performance will celebrate the strength of cancer patients and survivors and explore ballet as movement therapy.

“We will have an all cancer patient and survivor cast and maybe even some caregivers on stage,” said Wassman-Cox. “We really see this as an educational showcase to share the cancer experience through dance and help educate our audience about cancer advocacy and the therapeutic benefits of ballet.”

Wassman-Cox knows other survivors can find healing the way she did and the ways she has seen it in her classes.

“Even just the simplicity of cueing them to stand tall and breath has brought people to tears,” said Wassman-Cox. “It is bringing them back into their bodies, and it’s so meaningful to see how happy it makes people.”

For information about volunteering opportunities, donating or details on upcoming events, visit oncoballet.org.