Dance Show Spotlights Rett Syndrome

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Posted: 2008-06-20 18:24:21
This week's episode of the popular Fox show "So You Think You Can Dance" offered more than slick choreography and stiff competition. It also featured a lesson of sorts about a rare disorder called Rett syndrome.

Spotlighting a Rare Disorder

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Choreographer Jean-Marc Genereux brought more than elegant dance moves to Wednesday night's episode of the popular Fox show "So You Think You Can Dance." The champion ballroom dancer shared a personal story of his daughter's battle with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disease that afflicts girls almost exclusively.

Spotlighting a Rare Disorder

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The disorder prevents its victims from communicating or controlling their body movements. Genereux, here leading contestants through a routine, said he created the night's dance for his daughter. "The only time she gets so animated is when she sees people move," Genereux said. "Hopefully this piece will make her react and feel great."

Spotlighting a Rare Disorder

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Dancers Kherington Payne and Stephen "Twitch" Boss performed the number, a Viennese waltz set to Celine Dion's "A New Day Has Come." Audience members, judges and Genereux's family were moved to tears.

Spotlighting a Rare Disorder

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Actress Julia Roberts has appealed to Congress to boost federal funding for Rett syndrome research and narrated a documentary about the disorder. She became dedicated to the cause after meeting Abigail Brodsky, who was featured in the film and later died from complications related to the disorder at age 10. Sources: The New York

Dancers Kherington Payne and Stephen "Twitch" Boss performed the number, a Viennese waltz set to Celine Dion's "A New Day Has Come." Audience members, judges and Genereux's family were moved to tears.
Top choreographers appear on the show to create dances for the contestants. On Wednesday night's show, choreographer Jean-Marc Genereux, a champion ballroom dancer, told the audience about his daughter's battle with Rett syndrome. He said he choreographed the night's dance, a Viennese waltz set to Celine Dion�s "A New Day Has Come," for her.

The neurodevelopmental disorder, which primarily strikes young girls, is characterized by normal early development followed by loss of use of the hands, slowed brain and head growth, gait abnormalities, seizures and mental retardation.

Read the full story at nytimes.com.

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