The world premiere of Sensation Innerspace took place on Saturday 2nd July in the Amsterdam ArenA. This year, as in previous years, Sensation are supporting dance4life, raising a massive €399,250!

The money was raised during a pre-Sensation auction and from ticket sales.

Sensation and dance4life organised a pre-Sensation dinner for the friends4life - people who donate a substantial amount to dance4life every year. During the dinner, catered by Ron Blauw and at the house of Duncan Stutterheim, the founder of Sensation, 12 unique items were auctioned. Among the items was a knotted chair by Marcel Wanders (€7,000), a meet & greet with Richard Branson (€8,000) and a private dinner by four topchefs Ron Blaauw, Jonnie Boer, Hans van Wolde and Sergio Herman (€60,000). Highlight of the evening was a commercial space flight,offered by Space Expedition Curaçao, which was auctioned for an amazing €120,000! The purchaser of this space flight will, just like Doutzen Kroes and Erica Terpstra, one of the first 100 austronauts to take to space in 2014!

The sail boat belonging to dance4life ambassador Doutzen Kroes was also amongst the items up for auction. Doutzen Kroes: "I'm really pleased that the boat has raised €9,500 and is now in the good hands of one of the friends4life. Money raised will of course go to dance4life!"

The total amount raised at the auction was an amazing €229,300!

Sensation has been supporting dance4life since 2010. 50 cents of every ticket sold for Sensation Amsterdam is donated to dance4life. Part of ticket sales for Sensation editions in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain and Russia have also been donated to dance4life.

Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, and 10 years since that first landmark UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, 147 member states will come together to review progress and chart the future course of the global AIDS response at the 2011 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS from 8-10 June 2011 in New York.

The UNGASS Declaration of Commitment (DoC) on HIV/AIDS, adopted by all UN Member States in 2001, provides a comprehensive global framework to halt and to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2010, and includes specific and measurable milestones for 2003, 2005 and 2010. Every year, governments have reported on the progress they have made towards implementing the DoC. 

The 2011 Review comes at a turning point in the AIDS response, as a critical opportunity to identify progress, account for underperformance, renew the political commitment to sustain the response, and to chart the way forward with new goals. 
New UNAIDS data clearly show that steady progress is being made towards zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths through universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The gains are real, but fragile and have not reached everyone in need. There are still 10 million people waiting for HIV treatment. And for every one person starting treatment, two people become infected. Stigma and discrimination continue to be obstacles. 

dance4life is honoured to have been invited to take part in this critical meeting. Managing director, Eveline Aendekerk and YPLHIV Officer Pablo Torres Aguilera will join the high level delegates to discuss and advocate on behalf of youth and people living with HIV. 

Pablo has also been invited to speak at an important session hosted by the UN agencies entitled "Young People in the AIDS Response'. This event seeks to demonstrate how young people are acting as agents of change in the AIDS response. This event will be attended by High level government delegates to UNGASS, Heads of youth-serving and youth-led Organizations, Heads of Bilateral and Multilateral Donor Agencies, young people and private sector representatives, including; HRH Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit, Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS and Mr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, UNFPA.

In the part of the session entitled Young Leaders as agents of changes - Presenting examples of responses that work, Pablo will speak about dance4lifes work in overcoming stigma and discrimination. 

The high level meeting is a crucial moment in the future of the response towards HIV and AIDS and an opportunity for dance4life to make sure the voices of those hundreds of thousands of young people who have joined the movement are heard by world leaders.