On left, Pacific Northwest Ballet soloist Benjamin Griffiths in 'Rubies,' presented as part of George Balanchine's Jewels™, © The George Balanchine Trust. Photos by Angela Sterling (left) and Marcie Sillman.

Ben Griffiths

Marcie Sillman
03/10/2009

Pacific Northwest Ballet's Broadway Festival opens this weekend. It's a chance for the classically trained dancers to break out of the traditional ballet mold. Some of the dancers like the challenge, others are less enthusiastic. But there's one soloist who's just happy to be on stage.

You won't see any Sugar Plum Fairies or handsome princes in PNB's latest show.

B. Griffiths: "I'm doing Jets in 'West Side Story,' and possibly a role in 'Carousel.' We'll see."

Like his fellow company members, soloist Ben Griffiths is learning these Broadway classics for the first time. Griffiths welcomes the hard work. Last November, he wasn't sure he'd be dancing at all.

B. Griffiths: "I had some pain in my lower abdomen. Because I had started learning 'Nutcracker' — it was my first year learning Prince — so it was more lifting than what I usually do during 'Nutcracker' rehearsals. I thought I maybe had a hernia."

Pacitti: "He was going to brush it off."

That's Jordan Pacitti, Ben Griffith's partner.

Pacitti: "I just figured it'd be something easy, and I was like, just go to the doctor, thinking that it would be done in a day and he would find out what it was and we would move on and it would all be good."

It wasn't good. Griffiths had testicular cancer. A week after the first doctor's appointment, he had surgery to remove and biopsy the tumor.

Griffiths: "I was scared, obviously, because they don't have a lot of information until they're already into it. I didn't know what stage until a week and a half after the surgery. They had to do all the tests."

Griffiths was lucky; the tumor hadn't spread into his lymph nodes. He'd recuperate fully from the surgery, but doctors couldn't guarantee that the cancer was gone and wouldn't come back. They told him to consider more treatment.

Griffiths: "I had options. I could either observe it, or I could do chemotherapy, and I chose to do chemotherapy."

Chemo would give him the best chance of a full recovery. The question was, when to undergo the treatment. The young dancer had already missed his chance to be the Prince in "The Nutcracker." He had his heart set on performing lead roles in January's performances of George Balanchine's "Jewels."

Griffiths: "I didn't want to miss 'Jewels.' I was even considering postponing, because I did have some leeway, postponing my treatment till after 'Jewels.' But with the added risk factor, that didn't make sense."

Still, because a dancer has a limited window to make the most of his career, Griffiths was reluctant to lose three or four weeks to chemotherapy. Four hundred miles away, in Boise, Idaho, John and Robin Griffiths tried to help their son make the best treatment decision.

R. Griffiths: "I wanted him to come home, but Seattle is home to him now. That was hard."

So, the Griffiths family came to Seattle. Together, they decided Ben should start chemo Christmas week. It was a killer. Griffiths was too nauseated to eat. He lost 12 pounds.

R. Griffiths: "A couple of days, it was grueling for him, post chemo. I think one reason he got through, he had the goal to perform. To do that, he couldn't waste time feeling sorry for himself."

The next two weeks were a little easier on Griffiths' body, but one of the drugs affected his lungs. "Jewels" was coming up in less than a month. He worried he wouldn't be ready.

B. Griffiths: "I was unsure I would be able to do mainly 'Rubies,' because it's so demanding stamina wise."

Lallone: "The pas de deux in 'Rubies' is probably one of the hardest parts he does and that most guys do, they would safely say, at all."

Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Dancer Ariana Lallone is one of Ben Griffiths' best friends. Before his family arrived from Boise, Lallone was with Griffiths and Pacitti at all the doctors' appointments.

Lallone: "I think the doctor was a little confused when he'd walk in and the three of us would be sitting there. It might have seemed a little odd. But it made sense to us."

And ultimately, the fact that Ariana Lallone and Jordan Pacitti were always there for their son reassured Griffiths' worried parents.

R. Griffiths: "When Ben wanted to have his treatment done in Seattle, I said honey, friends are friends and family is family. You need to be home with family. I didn't realize what amazing friends he had."

Ben Griffiths isn't free of cancer yet. His doctors will do regular blood tests and CT scans for the next couple of years. That's when most testicular cancer recurs. If Griffiths is clear of the disease for five years, they'll call him cured.

Except for his bald head, Ben Griffiths blends in with his fellow Jets at this "West Side Story " rehearsal. He may have to wear a wig for the performances. Griffiths doesn't care. He says his cancer scare has given him new perspective on what's important.

B. Griffiths: "It makes you realize what time you do have when you have a scare like that. And it makes you realize how hard the situation can be, and then that, compared to your daily life ... And so, I think it's made me realize that I can do more physically in my profession."

The first professional challenge he faces will be a new one for Ben Griffiths: He and other Pacific Northwest Ballet company members will be dancing and singing this weekend in PNB's Broadway Festival.

I'm Marcie Sillman, KUOW News.

© Copyright 2009, KUOW