Having cancer is no day at the circus. However, raising money for a cure is a reason to be festive. St. Paul's Circus Juventas provided the perfect backdrop for the American Cancer Society's fifth annual Vivere Gala last month.

Travis Lehrke knows all about life with cancer. The fourth-grade teacher in the Centennial School District has been in remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma for almost a year. "It's strange to say, but having cancer can be beneficial," he said. "It showed me how people can comfort each other."

His daughter, Morgan, 11, is happy to have her dad healthy again. "He was always sick," she said. "Now we get to do much more." That includes spending a night together at the circus.

Sara Glassman • 612-673-7177

DANCE PARTY Middle Eastern culture took center stage in Minneapolis last weekend during Jawaahir Dance Company's 17th annual henna party.

Cassandra Shore started the Cassandra School in 1978 and the Dance Company in 1989. Middle Eastern dance is "musically interpretive, and it's also very friendly," she said. "Unlike some Western dances, you can be inspired by it."

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Frida Hilbrich, 6, from St. Paul and Angela Skrade of Ancient Traditions Mehndi.

After a performance, attendees, including many kids, were invited to learn some moves and participate in mehndi painting. Dozens of women sprawled out and decorated their friends and themselves with the paste that has been used to adorn women's bodies as part of celebrations for centuries. The henna dries and dyes the skin for up to three weeks.

SARA GLASSMAN