HELP FUND DANCE CHOREOGRAPHER'S KNEE SURGERY

*UPDATE*

Please note, the donation amount has been updated due to receiving a better quotation from another surgeon. Janine's operation has been provisioned for 22 October 2020 and with your help and generosity, this can be achieved. Thank you in advance.

WELCOME

Whether you’re an athlete, teacher, doctor or a dancer like our friend Janine, you know how important having a fully functioning body is to do what you need to make a living. 

Janine Booysens is a dynamic Contemporary Dance Teacher and Choreographer who’s freelancing career has come to a halt after sustaining a sudden knee injury that occurred during a routine day out with her dog. 

With the financial strain of being immobile in addition to having no medical aid, we’re reaching out on behalf of Janine to help secure financial support for her ACL, ALL & Meniscus surgery.

Below is a brief background to who Janine is. Thank you for taking your time to read this.

Gabrielle & Renée

BACKGROUND

Hailing from Cape Town South Africa, Janine Booysens is a dynamic Contemporary Dance Teacher and Choreographer having toured locally and internationally doing so, for the last 9 years.

Although her current focus largely remains teaching and choreographing Contemporary Dance, her own dance background is diverse beginning from the young age of 7. In 2006 Booysens began training after being accepted in to the country’s premier Contemporary Dance Theatre’s Training program – The Jazzart Dance Theatre Young Adult and Job Creation Programme. Here she excelled and Jazzart awarded her with a bursary to pursue an academic dance qualification succeeding the training program.

Janine was accepted in 2009 also on full scholarship by the University of Cape Town’s School of Dance program and she attained her Dance Teacher’s Diploma there. Her involvement at the university was extensive and she was awarded yearly for her outstanding achievements in academic and practical courses at the School of Dance. She graduated with Contemporary and Pedagogy Majors with Distinction in African Dance in 2011.

Janine now freelances as a teacher, choreographer and guest workshop conductor at Government Organizations and tertiary and secondary institutions such as: the University of Cape Town (School of Dance), D.F. Malan High School, Jazzart Dance Theater, Northern Dance Project, LMRI Academy of Dance. Other highlights include appearing in stage and television productions and festivals such as the Baxter Dance Festival, Dancers Love Dogs, Danscape, The Spier Arts Festival, Channel O and presenting workshops at the Panpapanpalya Congress 2018 in Adelaide, Australia.

In addition to the above, Janine started her own company in 2015, JB Dance, where she successfully teaches in contemporary styles catering for group and private clientele at the Atheneum in Newlands.

COVID-19 & AN UNEXPECTED SURGERY

This brings us to the COVID- 19 pandemic, where as a freelancer, her income had been reduced dramatically putting strain on her day to day expenses. She remained resilient through these months and Janine was prompted to pursue her classes via an online platform. However, this did not substitute for the income she had lost during this time.

On 9 July 2020, Janine went on a walk with her dog, Genesis. She experienced an uncomfortable pain behind her left knee and felt a cracking sensation. The pain subsided slightly after self medicating (later to discover, this was a hyper extension of the knee).

On 27 July while walking Genesis for his daily exercise, Janine was excitedly playing with her dog when she unexpectedly heard a crack and pop behind the same knee. This pain was worse than before. She was alone at the time, without her phone and in excruciating pain. She managed to get home with much difficulty.

The next day, 28 July, Janine had a physiotherapist evaluate her knee at her home and his initial concerns was that of an ACL tear, PCL injury, meniscal tear and chondral injury. He suggested an immediate MRI scan be booked and an appointment made with the orthopedic surgeon.

After meeting with the orthopedic surgeon and reviewing her MRI results, it was confirmed that her ACL, ALL & medial meniscus had torn.

FUNDRAISER FOR SURGERY

The costs of a complex surgery is not an amount one accounts for, and due to Janine not being on medical aid she is needing financial support to have surgery as soon as possible.

Because the financial strains are quite complex, we have provided a list below to help understand the surgery procedures as well as post surgery expenses:

• Harvesting from hamstring to repair the 3 torn ligaments
• Anesthetist
• Hospital care
• Biokineticist (rehabilitation will take up to 6 months)
• Physiotherapist
• Crutches / braces / miscellaneous costs

TESTIMONIALS & CHOREOGRAPHY BY JANINE BOOYSENS

"Janine Booysens is a UCT graduate, a passionate dance teacher, a phenomenal choreographer and a true friend.

Janine taught me Contemporary Dance for 4 years at UCT. During this time of being her dance student, colleague and friend, she has taught me so much about my craft, my identity, my body, my dance technique, my teaching skills and just so much about the dance industry in general. 

Janine is the most self-less, helpful and honest person I know and gives 200% in everything she does. She is extremely hard-working, responsible, committed and professional.

If you're looking for an excellent dance teacher or choreographer, or need professional advice, or if you simply need a friend for help and support, Janine Booysens is that person."

Carla Scholtz

(Dance student, colleague and friend)

"Janine taught contemporary dance at UCT for many years. Her artistic work with our students was exceptional and her professionalism as a dance teacher was exemplary. To have Janine on your project was to be certain that the project would happen and do so with high quality".

(Lisa Wilson, Senior dance lecturer at UCT)