GOODWILL: Poly student joins dancers from around Southern California in creating a potentially life-changing movement.
By Caroline Iglesias, Staff Writer
On November 1, 2015 Poly student Sophia Larson (11) participated in a new dance campaign called “Prayers for Paloma.” Larson who has been dancing since the age of three, devotes much of her time in the studio to mastering technique, but she spends even more time cultivating her passion. When she was invited to join this movement, she was initially nervous because she “had no idea what to expect.” However, Larson expressed that being a part of “Prayers for Paloma” was really empowering, and “strengthened [her] career as a dancer and gave [her] yet another purpose to dance.”
“Prayers for Paloma” is a foundation created for an infant named Paloma Bartocci who was born with congenital heart defects, including severe mitral stenosis, a disorder that can restrict blood flow due to closure of the mitral valve. It is a rare condition that approximately five other people in the world have, and the creators of “Prayers for Paloma” hope to raise awareness and money so that baby Paloma can receive proper treatment.
Amanda Cathey, a dance choreographer, initiated the “Prayers for Paloma” campaign after she learned that her friend Malena Bartocci’s daughter could not receive proper treatment. To receive proper treatment the Bartocci family would have needed to transfer to Boston, an extremely expensive move that their insurance was unwilling to cover. Cathey decided she was going to put together two things that she loves, dance and her friend, in order to potentially change a life.
Cathey contacted companies from around Southern California: Riverside Dance Company, where Larson has danced for the past 13 years, Focus Dance Studio in Irvine, Avanti Dance Company in Orange County and Pacific Coast Academy of Dance in Mission Viejo. All the dancers met at Focus Dance Center in Orange County where they learned a dance that would be filmed and broadcasted on the news. They then proceeded to film the dance routine for an awareness video on the campus of University of California, Irvine. “When we learned it, it didn’t matter to anyone what company we danced for or how we placed at competitions; everyone had one goal and that was to help the family in any way possible,” Larson expressed.
Spreading awareness and donating to “Prayers for Paloma” can get the Bartocci family one step closer to Paloma’s ultimate health and salvation. Larson is set on helping achieve this goal for Paloma through donating and spreading the word. “We need to inspire greatness and remember that this wasn’t about us, it was about Paloma,” Larson stated.