After 2 pilot classes (November 2010 and January 2011) Dance for PD has arrived in Philadelphia. The program is being presented by the Parkinson Council, Penn Medicine, the 954 Dance Movement Collective and Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers. A unique collaboration between the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group, a chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation, the Dance for PD program is built on one fundamental premise: professionally-trained dancers are movement experts whose knowledge is useful to people with PD.
Dancers know all about stretching and strengthening muscles, and about balance and rhythm. Most importantly, dancers know how to use their thoughts, imagination, eyes, ears and touch to control their movements. This popular class is appropriate for anyone with PD, no matter how advanced. No dance experience is required. In chairs, at a bar or standing, participants explore elements of modern dance, ballet, tap, folk and social dancing, in a stimulating, enjoyable, non-pressured, social environment in which live music energizes, enriches and empowers.
This method has been presented at the International Congress for Parkinson's disease (Berlin, 2005), the World Parkinson Congress (Washington, D.C., 2006), and the Society for Neuroscience (Washington, 2008). Articles about the class have appeared in Neurology Now, USA Today and The New York Times among other publications, and features about the class have been broadcast on NPR, PBS, CBS, and ABC. Classes modeled after Dance for PD now occur in more than 40 communities in the US, Canada, India, UK and Germany, and now Philadelphia!
David Leventhal, John Higginbottom and Olie Westheimer led the Philadelphia Dance for PD Teacher Training, gathering a group of amazing people interested in bringing the program to the Greater Philadelphia area.
This class is made possibly by a generous donation from donor Karen Jacobson Milberg. Additional funding has been made possibly for the program at the 954 Dance Movement Collective by the Leeway Foundation and the Puffin Foundation.
We feel lucky to continue to meet such wonderful people thru this great program.
Northern Liberties, Philadelphia
954 Dance Movement Collective
954 N 8th St., Philadelphia
Saturdays beginning May 7th 2-3:15PM
To register contact
Keila Cordova (215-627-1157 or
954dmc@gmail.com)
South Philadelphia
CHI Movement Arts Center,
home of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
1316 S 9th St., Philadelphia
Wednesdays beginning May 4th 1-2:15PM
To register contact Ken Metzner
(267-687-3739 or kyldphilly@gmail.com)
Chester County Rock School West
1510 Paoli Pike, West Chester
Tuesdays beginning April 26th
1:00 – 2:30PM
To register contact Karen Lynch
(610-524-1556 or fxlksl@verizon.net)
Background photo of Members of Brooklyn Parkinson Group at the Mark Morris Dance Center by Katsuyashi Tanaka
August 6, 2011 at 2:00 PM, 6 Dancers attended
Dance for PD Class at the 954 Dance Movement Collective
They
rated it
"We had a great class: Judith and Fran taught and Chris our accompanist was back from his trip to Europe. It was wonderful to have live music again."
Keila Cordova joined
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