The revolutionary “Dance for PD” is a specialized dance program for Parkinson’s patients founded in 2001 at the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in Brooklyn.  Taught by professionally-trained dance teachers, “Dance for PD” classes incorporate

elements of narrative, imagery, live music, and community to develop artistry and grace while addressing such PD-specific concerns as balance, flexibility, coordination, isolation, and depression.

In the last 10 years, MMDG and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group (BPG) have taken the class to an astonishing 40 cities around the world.  Thanks to Julie Smith, Miami, FL is now one of those cities.

The Blechman Foundation recently had the opportunity to speak with Julie, a dance instructor who specializes in dance with the elderly and Parkinson’s patients.  In the short time that we had to speak with her, we immediately recognized the passion and drive that she has for her work and her clients.

Julie brings a lifetime of dance and movement study to the “Dance for PD” world.  Julie is trained in a variety of dance techniques (e.g., tap, hip-hop, and salsa); studied musical theater at the Boston Conservatory of Music; and later traveled with various Broadway shows before finding a home at the Jill Malory Dance Studio in Miami.  With encouragement from her students, Julie attended a “Dance for PD” workshop at MMDG and never turned back.  Since then, she has brought the class to Miami and, with it, a helpful gift for community members afflicted with Parkinson’s.

Over the course of her work, Julie has found that music and dance not only help her PD clients with their muscular movement and stability, but allows them to forget for a short period of time that life is any different than it used to be.  Lost in dance, her PD clients no longer dwell on the physical constraints and the constant medications and instead embrace simply having fun in a safe, accepting environment.  As Julie puts it:

I believe my way of teaching is and always has been to look at the class or the student, determine their abilities, and then go to the next level.  If you believe that they can do it…and help them to believe that they can do it…they do it!  Music…MUSIC IS KEY.

Her classes offer an escape through the music, stories, and imagery, and such an escape has tremendous benefit.  She uses specific techniques – such as “eye focus with gestures” – to help her students fully engage and take back control of their bodies (at least for a brief time).  Her classes are designed to help PD patients ranging from the newly diagnosed to those in a wheelchair.  According to Julie, no matter how progressive the stage of the disease, it is important for the students to become engulfed in the music and atmosphere, to let it “take over.”  At that point, they can be present and truly enjoy their hour of dance alongside other people dealing with the same hardships.  In this way, Julie’s classes have become a type of support group for Parkinson’s patients.

As David Leventhal, one of the “Dance for PD” pioneers at MMDG, explained to us:

[Students] find elements of the class therapeutic.  The primary goal of our program is for people to enjoy dance for dancing’s sake in a group setting – and to explore the range of physical, artistic, and creative possibilities that are still very much open to them.

Research has supported the work of Julie, David, and their fellow “Dance for PD” practitioners.  The Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy (2007) documents a study from the Washington University School of Medicine that claims that this type of dance class actually provides “significant improvements in balance and mobility for participants with PD as compared to conventional exercise.” To ensure that the participants are comfortable while dancing, they must know the proper attire like the one mentioned on what do you wear to a sadie hawkins dance.

And you need not be a scientist to notice the improvements.  On PBS News Hour (aired in 2010), correspondent David Iverson observed that “the symptoms of participants with PD, such as shaking hands and stiff muscles, seemed to disappear during the dance class.”

So thank you to the “Dance for PD” community, and to Julie and David for taking the time to speak with us.  We cast a spotlight on their work to show patients and their loved ones that alternative forms of activity exist – and that a “range of physical, artistic, and creative possibilities…are still very much open to [you].”

If you would like to learn more about “Dance for PD,” reference links are provided below.

References

• PD, D. f. (2010). About Us. Retrieved 11 2011, from Dance for PD: http://danceforparkinsons.org/about-the-program
• Sexton, J. (2011, Aug 11). Dance Therapy for Parkinson’s. Retrieved Nov 2011, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/513279-dance-therapy-for-parkinsons/
• Washington University in St Louis: Tango Improves Balance, Mobility in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease; Beth Miller; January 2008.
• “PBS News Hour”; Dane Helps Parkinson’s Patients harness Therapeutic Power of Movement; December 2010.
• Press. (2010) Retrieved 11 2011, from Dance for PD: http://danceforparkinsons.org/press
• About the Program. (2010) Retrieved 12 2011, from Dance for PD http://danceforparkinsons.org/about-the-program