Pink Ribbon Of The Month, April 2009: Jane Lopoten School Of Dance

The grassroots activism that makes Susan G. Komen for the Cure a worldwide leader is definitely going strong in the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate service area. The ongoing efforts by the Jane Lopoten School of Dance create an excellent example.


This month, we are proud to honor Jane Lopoten and the students, parents and friends of the Jane Lopoten School of Dance with our “pink ribbon of the month,” for showing incredible innovation and creativity in motivating an entire community to get involved in raising funds and awareness. Their clear passion for the Komen promise, as well as outstanding ability to embrace the next generation in the breast cancer movement, is an inspiration for us all.  

A friend of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate for more than five years, Jane and the Jane Lopoten School of Dance have done everything from hosting unique, community-wide fundraisers (like this spring's Pink Tie Tea shown above), to volunteering for the Komen Philadelphia Pink Tie Ball, to performing inspirational dances on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure tradition. Over the years, the dance school has raised nearly $40,000 to support the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate.

When asked to identify the highlight of her thirty-year career as a dance instructor, without hesitation Jane Lopoten will say, the Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure: “To see my girls be a part of something so huge is the most thrilling achievement of my career.”

For the past six Mother’s Days, Jane, the Owner/Director of Jane Lopoten’s School of Dance in Lansdale, has been prepping her dance students at 5:00 AM on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they inspire a crowd of more than 100,000 Race for the Cure attendees. Their “celebrate life” performance has become a much cherished tradition at the Race.

With one woman dying from breast cancer every 13 minutes in the U.S., sadly every girl in Jane’s school has been touched by the disease in her young life. More than just dancing on Race day, Jane embraces the Komen mission to end breast cancer by integrating it into her dance school - encouraging the girls to be aware, to be comfortable with the topic, and to teach their mothers, too.  

Some may ask, why start at such a young age? The answer lies in the story of one of Jane’s 16-year old students who had a lump in her breast. For quite some time, she told no one, until the lessons learned at the School of Dance convinced her not to be embarrassed. She then found the courage to talk to her parents, seek treatment and now lives to “dance again.”

For helping to save this young girl's life… and the lives of countless others… the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate will proudly honor Jane with our Power of the Promise award at the 2009 Celebrate Life! luncheon. We also encourage all of you to be empowered by the example of the Jane Lopoten School of Dance, and experience the beauty of their art on the Art Museum steps this Mother's Day.