Dancer’s death shocks art community

By Mary Scott, Peninsula News Thursday, February 24, 2011 10:57 AM PST

Brigida Giancaspero was petite and gentle. her grace transcended the dance floor and into her relationships with the people who surrounded her.

Giancaspero, a longtime student, performer and teacher at Palos Verdes Ballet, died on Feb. 16 in San Diego, just days after doctors discovered she had pancreatic cancer. she was 34 years old.”She was a beautiful girl, with beautiful long hair and full of happiness,” ballet Director Uta Graf-Apostol said of Giancaspero when she started at the school. “Dance was her life.”Giancaspero had just moved with her family to Palos Verdes from Chicago, when the 9-year-old girl became a student at PV Ballet.”She immediately showed a dedication and love for ballet,” Graf-Apostol told the News.From 1985 to 2005, Giancaspero performed with the ballet’s company, having danced younger roles such as one of the mice in “The Nutcracker” to junior and principal roles in the repertoire, including “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Firebird” and “Giselle.”In 1997, Giancaspero began her role as assistant to Graf-Apostol, a position she maintained until August 2010. she first taught 3 to 7 year olds, later progressing to teaching intermediate and advanced students.

“With her extensive involvement with the company, she touched countless lives with inspiration and a shared love for her artistry,” Graf-Apostol said.”Brigida was my big help on the stage, helping me learn the steps, and make sure I [was] on time,” said Sayat Asatryan, a guest artist with the ballet for almost 10 years.”She had a great knowledge working with children, and once I saw how she [taught] little ones, I thought, one day I will bring my baby to her.”Asatryan added that although Giancaspero is gone, her memory will last, especially with the children that she dedicated her life to.A rare casePancreatic cancer is an aggressive form of cancer and hard to detect in patients, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s hard to find early because of the location of the pancreas, which is deep within the body. Tumors cannot be seen or felt during routine physical examinations. By the time a person has symptoms — including weight loss, digestive problems, swollen gallbladder — the cancer is usually large and has spread to other organs. The outcome for patients often is poor.according to ACS, pancreatic cancer is typically found more often in men than women, and the average age of a patient is 72 years old. Almost 90 percent of pancreatic patients are older than 55. People with liver disease or Type 2 diabetes, or who are overweight and inactive, are at higher risk for this type of cancer.also, heavy exposure to certain pesticides, dyes and chemicals, or having too much stomach acid increases the risk of getting cancer of the pancreas.The most common symptom is pain in the abdomen or in the middle of the back.two weeks before Giancaspero’s death, she complained of having back pain, Graf-Apostol said. Doctors tested her for more than a week.”She called me on Saturday, Feb. 12, … and that’s when she found out she had pancreatic cancer,” Graf-Apostol said.Giancaspero was moved to the cancer research center at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center on Feb. 14. she died two days later.Students and dancers at PV Ballet are in shock at the sudden death of their friend, Graf-Apostol said.”Her smile, grace and gentleness will always be remembered throughout the Palos Verdes community and beyond,” she said.Giancaspero is survived by her parents in Arizona, a brother in San Diego and a sister in Delaware. A memorial service was held for her yesterday at Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos

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