Eastlyn Jensen dreamed of becoming a scientist when she was 7 years old, but two years later that changed.

Her older sister was taking ballet and violin lessons, and Jensen’s new dream led her to the stage instead of the lab.

Today, the Tempe resident is in her fourth year performing with Ballet Arizona, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary of the Artist Relief Fund Benefit on Nov. 4.

Jensen knows well what the money raised from the event means to Ballet Arizona performers, many of whom have used it for emergency medical and family expenses as well as to prepare for life after they leave the stage.

“I still dream of being able to create in a lab and to use knowledge and research to help people and to make the world a better place,” Jensen said.

During the pandemic, when performances were cut back, Jensen had a chance to take a step in that direction and return to a 7-year-old girl’s dream. She enrolled in courses at Arizona State University that are required for a chemical engineering degree with a concentration on biomedical research.

In less than two years she has completed all the online classes available in her field. The remaining coursework of in-person labs is on hold because of her ballet schedule.

And the Nov. 4 benefit has presented her with another challenge.

She is choreographer for one of the dances on the program and will be playing violin for another.

Jensen said choreography begins with thinking about the music, then mapping out step sequences and discussing her thoughts with the dancers who also had their interpretations.

“People were egging each other on in a kind of competition, trying tricks and coming up with quirky interpretations, some of which I ended up incorporating into the ballet,” Jensen said.

Titled “It’s a Verb,” the dance was created for a past ARF program and inspired by her love of a Debussy String Quartet that she had played in high school.

As for her future, Jensen was made aware of how quickly things can change after returning to work in 2022 following the pandemic.

She experienced knee pain and it later “popped during a rehearsal for ‘Giselle,’” she said, leaving her barely able to walk.

Then came surgery and seven months of rehab.

Had she needed financial assistance for her medical expenses, the Artists Relief Fund would have been available to her just as it was for some of her education bills.

“I had thought I wanted to study the chemical balances that define cancer and Alzheimer's research, but now I am leaning towards the environmental aspects of chemical engineering with a focus on clean water,” Jensen said.

The Ballet Arizona benefit will be from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Ballet Arizona's Dorrance Theater, 2835 E. Washington St., Phoenix.

Light hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction and raffle will take place after doors open at 6 p.m. At 7, the dancers will reprise 10 original works ranging from classical to contemporary styles created for previous Artist Relief Fund performances. 

A post-performance reception will follow with a champagne toast, dessert, a jazz quartet and a chance to mingle with the dancers.

The cost is $75-$125. For tickets: https://balletaz.org/performance/artist-relief-fund-2023/ or call 602-381-1096 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.