Dancing 4 Kids
A grassroots NPO keeps its promise to help AIDS orphans in Africa

Photos courtesy of Red Baklava

“Dance is a universal language. Dance is freedom and dance is life.” So said Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s renowned archbishop and opponent of apartheid. Tutu’s feelings are embodied by Dancing 4 Kids (D4K), an organization dedicated to helping South Africa overcome its problems.

“The dancing element of our NPO is kind of a metaphor for ‘moving’ towards helping kids,” explains Chrissi Theodorakakos, D4K’s director of funding and business development.

The group got its start in February 2008, when Theodorakakos and photographer Red Baklava went to South Africa to meet with former antiapartheid activist Patrick Chamusso. After a friend of Chamusso died of AIDS, leaving two daughters behind, he and his wife founded Two Sisters, an orphanage that now houses 76 children—and uses funds from groups like D4K to keep going.

But the history shared by D4K and Two Sisters is even more compelling. Chamusso’s tale of rising up against apartheid was told in the 2006 Hollywood film Catch a Fire. The movie inspired Theodorakakos and Baklava in their efforts to raise money for the children’s home.

Following the initial trip, D4K held an exhibition at Fujimamas restaurant showcasing photographs from the South African journey. Theodorakakos continues to sell the photos (some featured here) from her home, with the money from sales going directly to the orphanage.

After the exhibition, D4K teamed up with Waseda University to stage “Dancing 4 Two Sisters.” This show combined performances by the Austrian Ballet Company Tokyo, Japanese “beatboxer” Afra, and musician (and occasional MetPod contributor) Stuart-O with a student-led presentation on the AIDS situation in South Africa.

“Our goal is to raise money for the [orphaned] kids as well as to create awareness of their existence,” says Theodorakakos. “There’s this fear of AIDS, but with the right support and medical care people with AIDS can live the same life as us.” The children supported by Two Sisters have lost their parents to the disease, and some are HIV-positive.

The D4K team’s new fundraiser is slated for March. “Our next event will be about children helping children,” Theodorakakos explains. As details start to take shape, she is on the lookout for volunteers. Currently, the group has no paid employees and sometimes ends up sponsoring its own events.

Despite its tiny staff, D4K has big plans. “We hope to expand overseas to Europe and South Africa. It seems that even though we are such a small group, our trip to South Africa was not just inspirational—it somehow turned us into a vehicle, a driving force that spreads the news about what we saw in so many different ways.”

Theodorakakos recalls: “I will never forget the day we said goodbye to Patrick. When I gave him a hug he said, ‘Please don’t forget about us.’ Earlier, he had mentioned that many people visit the orphanage, but when they leave, he never hears from them again. I was sad to hear that and I reassured him that we would try our best to help his children. This is what we’ve been doing since then. We are trying to keep our promise.”

To learn more about D4K or to get involved, email chrissi@cocoa.ocn.ne.jp or see www.dancing4kids.ning.com. Check out photographs from the Fujimamas exhibition at the D4K website or at www.redbaklava.com. The photos can be purchased by contacting D4K at the email address above.

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