{"id":262711,"date":"2026-04-11T14:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/262711\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T14:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:25:11","slug":"in-mutate-a-leukemia-survivor-redefines-her-relationship-with-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/262711\/","title":{"rendered":"In \u2018Mutate,\u2019 a Leukemia Survivor Redefines Her Relationship With Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Masha Cherezova<\/a> was dancing professionally with the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre in Siberia when she realized something was wrong. During a performance, she felt her legs give out onstage; she couldn\u2019t even get on pointe. She was hospitalized the next day.<\/p>\n

What followed was a yearlong battle with leukemia caused by a mutation called inversion 16. \u201cIt\u2019s a part of my DNA that literally just got flipped,\u201d Cherezova told L.A. Dance Chronicle. \u201cSo it was just a switch, and it got flipped and caused the cancerous cells.\u201d<\/p>\n

In stepping back from her role as a performer, Cherezova has noticed parallels between her cancer battle and her relationship with dance. While her love of dance began as a positive thing, she began to push it too far, she said. When she saw her body covered in bruises, she felt a sense of pride, as though they were evidence of her hard work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do feel like there was a flip,\u201d Cherezova said. \u201cThere was a moment where (dance) became destructive, and it became harmful to myself and my body without me even knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Poster<\/a><\/p>\n

Poster for MUTATE by Masha Cherezova \u2013 Courtesy of the artist.<\/p>\n

This is one of the throughlines in Cherezova\u2019s multimedia project \u201cMutate,\u201d showing at L.A. Dance Project<\/a> on Saturday, April 11. Bringing together filmmakers, dancers, choreographers and even a comedian, Cherezova explores how her identity as a dancer and creator has shifted since her cancer diagnosis. All proceeds will go to Blood Cancer United, formerly known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring that time when I wasn\u2019t performing, when I was getting treated with chemo, I had to find a new identity for myself. It was almost like cutting dance out of who I was,\u201d Cherezova said. \u201cNow I\u2019m rekindling a relationship with dance, and it\u2019s looking more like a reflection of myself. I\u2019m really trying to be cautious \u2014 to not tie it to my identity, but to let it be something that grows beyond my physical self. \u2026 That\u2019s looking like it\u2019s in choreography and directing.\u201d<\/p>\n

One installment in the project is a film Cherezova is co-creating with her sister, Polina, who created the documentary \u201cDancing Through the Fog of Cancer<\/a>\u201d with USC Annenberg Media in 2023. The work in progress explores the idea of things \u201cflipping\u201d to become harmful, showing how even mundane tasks can transform to become destructive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole (film) is exploring the disconnect between (Masha\u2019s) thoughts and her mind and what she was telling herself she needed to do, and what her body was feeling,\u201d Polina said.<\/p>\n

Documenting her sister\u2019s cancer journey first from the outside, then alongside her sister, has been an illuminating experience, Polina said. She was by her sister\u2019s side throughout her treatments, but never truly knew what it was like to have cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201c(\u2018Dancing Through the Fog\u2019) was a lot of me trying to interpret the way she was going through this. Now, it\u2019s interesting to hear, \u2018This is actually what I felt. This is actually what I was going through,\u2019 \u201d Polina said. \u201cThere\u2019s a special understanding that she has and can bring into this because most people don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to go through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also featured in \u201cMutate\u201d are comedian Julia Johns, a breast cancer survivor, and USC Kaufman School of Dance student Garris Munoz, who had a teratoma removed in 2022. Both use their art to explore their respective health battles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really sensitive for me at the time because it brought this unexpected awareness of vulnerability for me as not only a person, but also a dancer,\u201d Munoz said.<\/p>\n

\"Marsha<\/a><\/p>\n

Marsha Cherezova \u2013 Photo by Polina Cherezova.<\/p>\n

The program starts with Munoz\u2019s solo titled \u201cJanuary,\u201d named after the month in which he received his diagnosis. Rather than creating exact choreography, he\u2019s given himself \u201ctasks\u201d that he can perform in the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if I were to just choreograph and do it in a way that was trying to retell the story, it wouldn\u2019t be raw or real,\u201d Munoz said. \u201cIt would feel kind of like a facade.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the penultimate act, Masha will perform \u201cThe Dying Swan\u201d as the goodbye she never got for her dance career. The show will close with an original duet choreographed by Cherezova, exploring her rediscovery of dance and the new path she is carving out for herself.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Cherezova is already making a name for herself outside of performing. She choreographed Icelandic singer Laufey\u2019s \u201cSilver Lining\u201d<\/a> music video last year. Most recently, she worked on the music video for \u201cFather<\/a>\u201d by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Travis Scott. And she\u2019s only just beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cMasha is such a fighter, and that\u2019s always been something that has always inspired me about her. She was the last person I thought would get cancer,\u201d Polina said. \u201cShe\u2019s gotten through so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMutate\u201d appears on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 8:00 PM at L.A. Dance Project<\/a>, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., LA Downtown Arts District; Sat., April 11, 8 pm, Tickets range from $30 to$500.\u00a0 All proceeds will go to Blood Cancer United<\/a>, formerly known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To purchase tickets, click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Written by Lauren Harvey for LA Dance Chronicle.<\/p>\n

Featured image: Still from \u201cMasha Maria\u201d\u2013 Courtesy of Masha Cherezova.<\/p>\n

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