Hemophilia makes Broadway stage debut with Hemophilia: The Musical

10/22/2018

IHTC patient makes Broadway stage debut

By: Jentill Neal

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT)- Don't blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight. Don't blame it on the good times. Blame it on the boogie....

15 year-old Khalil Dance chose the Jackson 5’s “Don’t Blame It On the Boogie” song for his audition tape.

He’s a Northrop High School student who loves show choir.

"I discovered show choir and that's all I've wanted to do," Dance said.

This time his talents are taking him to New York to spread awareness about a disease he has called hemophilia.

People who have hemophilia are not able to form blood clots well.

They're at risk for excessive bleeding from small injuries putting their lives at risk.

"With a normal person, if you were to get a cut, you'd patch it up. Throw a band aid on it. You'd be fine. With hemophilia, your blood doesn't clot so you need to pay more attention to if it's a small paper cut because that can be severe if not treated," he explained.

Having hemophilia prevented him from doing a lot of things, but performing isn't one of them.
It's something his mother said is just in him.

"My mom and sister can sing. We grew up in church, and they sung in the choir. I played a musical instrument," his mother Malita Dance said.

Dance will be joining 24 other teens from across the nation for "Hemophilia: The Musical". It's a musical showing what it's like living with hemophilia.

Only 1 in 10,000 people are born with it and it's a genetic disorder passed on from parent to child.

"A lot of people, they don't know about hemophilia, and I feel like this would be a great way to get the word out," Khalil said.

There's no cure, but his mother said the medication keep him going.

She said as long as he's able to follow his dreams, she'll be right there supporting him advocating for more awareness of hemophilia so there will be a cure.

"I know my kid, that's something he loves to do. I'm sure the other ones are just like that. It's just so exciting," Malita added.

The musical will take place at New World Stages on November 12, 2018 at 1 PM ET.

A live stream of the performance will be made available at breakingthroughhemophilia.com

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