Art to the Bonemarrow

ART TO THE BONEMARROW

Art to the Bonemarrow is an artistic-supportive-of-charity project. Over a year the team will be dedicated to the production of three major events in order to raise funds for subsequent donation to the Josep Carreras Foundation Research Institute against Leukemia.
This artistic-supportive-of-charity project is based on ART as a tool for change, overcoming and survival. Art is a living entity that touches the receiver, making him part of something, causing a reaction. Art is values, ideas, concepts and endless feelings. To all those touched by art in any moment of their life, art has made them go further, jump higher, risk or survive. We will try to use all these feelings and emotions to create a unique and unforgettable scenic experience for the viewer.

Art to the Bonemarrow was born from Màriam. Màriam is a 19 year old girl who has a gift, she loves dancing, takes many classes, has entered into an urban dance competition group, enjoys her friends, her family, going to university and has many dreams and projects ahead, when she suddenly crashes into the wall of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Nobody could believe it, it seemed unreal. She at all times remained strong and energetic, setting all her energies on her recovery. All her colleagues and friends began to think about “the best of today is that its a day less for you to come back“. Màriam practised choreographies in her room where she was hospitalised, her class exercises, she listened to music, she remained connected to everything which gave her back that unique feeling, that peace, that comfort zone. Dance steps were her best medicine. Màriam was recovering from the first stages of treatment and preparing for the bone marrow transplant when, in a letter at the end of the season she told her hip-hop teacher that she felt that artist's gene, the desire to dance again, gave her life and energy to get up. Dance helped to save that life physically and we want to celebrate this fact by helping many more. That energy is now the artistic-supportive-of-charity project called Art to the Bonemarrow.

ORIGIN

Màriam Lutfi (17th September 1993, Reus, Tarragona). She has been a dancer ever since she can remember. She has attended to classes in several schools in Tarragona and Barcelona of multiple Hip-Hop culture streams, especially Marya Aguilar's company, which is part of M&M's Project as well as MABeast The Company. She has been able to grow as a dancer and jump on stages. By the time she was diagnosed with leukemia, Màriam was part of the urban dance competition group named TOTEM DANCE COMPANY. Today, Màriam has completed her studies in law and she is now undertaking her master degree to access the Legal Profession.

Marya Aguilar (10th July 1986, Valls, Tarragona). She has been trained as a dancer and choreographer in different disciplines related to Hip-Hop cultures - besides having extensive knowledge of many other dance disciplines - in the best schools, both state and international level, including long stays in Los Angeles, Toulouse and Paris. She has more than 7 years experience as a teacher in different dance schools, she has been a choreographer for several shows and has participated in different TV formats, as cinema or advertising. She has won several national and European competitions, including the national Hip-Hop Championship Orthos in 2007professional category. She is currently director of MAB DANCE CENTER

ESSENCE

WHAT IS LEUKEMIA?

Under the designation of cancer a set of illnesses are characterised by abnormal production of a particular cell type in the organism. These cells have a growth rate and division beyond the normal limits, so they are progressively invading the organism.

Leukemia is the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal population of blood cells. These abnormal cells infiltrate the bone marrow, preventing the production of the remaining normal cells and invade bloodstream and other organs.

Specifically, Màriam suffered acute myeloid leukemia (also called acute myelogenous leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia or AML) being the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. In normal conditions the bone marrow produces myeloblasts called cells, after they mature, they become granulocytes, cells responsible for defending the body against infection.

In AML cells of the myeloid line (myeloblasts) proliferate abnormally progressively invading the bone marrow interfering with the production of normal blood cells, which causes bone marrow failure and infiltrates extramedullary tissue.

AML is a disease that affects adults, but sometimes can be seen in children. This type of leukemia accounts for 40% of all leukemias in the Western world. Its incidence in our country is estimated at 15 new cases per million inhabitants a year. AML patients have a median age of 64 years and most patients are in the range of 60 - 75 years of age.

Very fortunately, the treatment of Màriam concluded with an allogeneic transplant from her older brother, who was 100% compatible with it. Every day we are thankful for this fact, so we want create hope and luck to all those who may need it, the same way our dancer did.

What is the Josep Carreras Foundation against leukemia?

Every year thousands of people worldwide are diagnosed with leukemia. The Josep Carreras Foundation against leukemia was born in 1988 with the intention to contribute to finding a definitive cure for this disease and improve the quality of life of patients. Once recovered from the illness, Josep Carreras created the Foundation to acknowledge the help of science and the many displays of affection received. The Foundation concentrates its efforts in the following basic areas:

  • Until we cure it, we will not stop


    The Foundation has invested since its creation more than 150 million euros in research projects. In 2010, the Josep Carreras Research Institute against Leukaemia (JCI) was born by the hand of the Catalonia Government and the Josep Carreras Foundation. JCI encounters 3 scientific campus in operation:

    • The Foundation has invested since its creation more than 150 million euros in research projects. In 2010, the Josep Carreras Research Institute against Leukaemia (JCI) was born by the hand of the Catalonia Government and the Josep Carreras Foundation. JCI encounters 3 scientific campus in operation:

    • The Foundation has invested since its creation more than 150 million euros in research projects. In 2010, the Josep Carreras Research Institute against Leukaemia (JCI) was born by the hand of the Catalonia Government and the Josep Carreras Foundation. JCI encounters 3 scientific campus in operation:

    • The Foundation has invested since its creation more than 150 million euros in research projects. In 2010, the Josep Carreras Research Institute against Leukaemia (JCI) was born by the hand of the Catalonia Government and the Josep Carreras Foundation. JCI encounters 3 scientific campus in operation:

  • Until we find a compatible donor for all patients, we will not stop


    So that no patient is left without an opportunity to cure for the lack of a compatible bone marrow, in 1991 the Foundation created the REDMO (Bone Marrow Donor Registry). Through this initiative, the Spanish patients can access more than 27 million bone marrow donors and umbilical cord units available throughout the world. Since 1992, REDMO has located one or more than one bone marrow or compatible peripheral blood donors for more than 7,500 patients worldwide that required a transplant to cure.

  • We will continue UNSTOPPABLE trying to give a better quality of life of patients


    The Foundation offers free medical advice and accommodation for patients with limited financial resources that must be moved away from home to receive lengthy treatment.


    All their efforts pursuing a single goal: that leukemia is, someday, a curable illness in all cases.

EVENTS

The backbone of this project is the production of three different events, all of artistic character, and that will happen consecutively the oncoming months in Barcelona in order to raise funds for the Josep Carreras Foundation Research Institute against Leukemia. It will begin with Dance Day Against Leukemia, then with the ATTB Festival and finally the project will close with Art to the Bonemarrow Gala.
It is important to note that the main supportive-of-charity purpose of the project is the Art to the Bonemarrow Gala. The two previous events, in different measures, are intended to present the project, promote it and share the main essence as a whole: art, and dance mainly, as an engine of life.1. Dance Day Against Leukemia

1. Dance Day Against Leukemia

April 30 at Plaça de Can Fabra in Sant Andreu (Barcelona), MAB Dance Center organised Dance Day Against Leukemia, taking advantage of the celebration of International Dance Day.
It was be an open day to the public where there will be dance performances, live music, batucada, workshops for kids, the availability to purchase several items and activities to promote this project, as well as being a festive day to celebrate life and dancing.

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2. ATTB Festival

ATTB Festival is the closest answer to all this, Màriam's story and many other people who have lived Leukemia. ATTB Festival is a show that wants to reach viewers, aiming on telling Màriam's story from the inside, and this will be the common thread. The show will narrate step by step the sensations, feelings and experiences during the treatment of leukemia, without forgetting that this is a tribute, a celebration of life! The artists that will express in a multidisciplinary manner the experiences, are people close to our protagonist, colleagues, family, dancers who shared classroom with her, friends and many special guests all connected to Màriam who wanted to collaborate with the project with their way of living art.

3. Art to the Bonemarrow Gala

The Art to the Bonemarrow Gala will be the final event of this project and a great show. Dressing up for the occasion is a must! The story of Màriam has touched great artists and public figures of the country, so much it is that we offer a gala in style with great dance companies, musicians, monologues, theatre, and many more surprises. Our goal is to attract the public with our artistic, supportive, different proposal. The content of the Gala will be small independent pieces of what each artist want to show, always following a common concept: how art (in all its forms and expressions) saves life, it enables us to evade and take us away from any problem. It makes us happy.