Collaborating with a Mission: The Andréa Rizzo Foundation Spreads the Gift of Dance/Movement Therapy
by Susan Rizzo Vincent, Suzi Tortora, Jocelyn Shaw, Jean Basiner, Christina Devereaux, Sharon Mulcahy and Mary Cartales Ponsini
American Journal of Dance Therapy
Vol. 29, No. 1, pages 51-58 Spring/Summer 2007
On May 19, 2002, Andréa Rizzo, an aspiring dance/movement therapist, was killed by a drunk driver. In the midst of their grief, colleagues, friends and family created The Andréa Rizzo Foundation, to assure that Andréa's dream of helping children with cancer and special needs through dance therapy would become a reality. Instituting dance therapy programs at both Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and in public schools throughout the Northeast, The Andréa Rizzo Dance Therapy Program continues to touch lives and broaden the spectrum of creative therapies recognized by doctors, nurses and educators alike. This article will highlight the programs that The Andréa Rizzo Foundation has instituted and funded since its inception in September 2002, as well as the Foundation's recent developments and achievements.