Ballet therapy for Parkinson’s sufferers
Since October last year, English National Ballet has been running a series of classes for people suffering from Parkinson’s.
As Parkinson’s sufferers often find it difficult to initiate movement (and in the worst cases simple movements like walking or reaching out for something), the project aims to improve fluidity in participants and create a greater sense of awareness of the way the body can move.
The initiative follows the lead of the pioneering Mark Morris Dance Group in the US. But English National Ballet has gone one step further and commissioned some groundbreaking research from a team led by Dr Sara Houston at Roehampton University. And the results are quite staggering.
They offer proof that this particular form of dance class can relieve some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s and aid mobility – and not just in the short-term. The participants I spoke to told me about how a sustained period of dance tuition has allowed them to incorporate the tools dance gives them in their daily lives. And to feel sufficiently confident in their physical abilities to carry out some of those simple movements that Parkinson’s had previously made so difficult.
But the classes’ benefits don’t stop there. As you might expect, they significantly boost the morale of participants. Many of them wouldn’t feel comfortable attending a Parkinson’s support group, whereas the unifying purpose of these classes is dance – and not disease – which turns out to be a much more compelling motivation.
The overall result is that the classes provide the participants with something in common other than just their condition – and as a welcome sideline have a powerful socialising effect.
One of the things that I find most fascinating about the classes is that ballet is often considered to be a form of dance which works against rather than with the body’s natural range of movements. It’s also one which requires great discipline – shaping the human body into the all-important line for example and – perhaps most obviously – standing on pointe. So you wouldn’t necessarily think that it could offer relief for people suffering from any kind of physical difficulty or disadvantage. But for the first time here’s proof that it does.
And the benefits of ballet for people with Parkinson’s aren’t just physical and psychological. Something else which fascinated me when I attended a class this weekend was to find out that Parkinson’s typically flattens the personality of the sufferer. And it’s here that ENB’s Dance for Parkinson’s initiative makes what is possibly its greatest contribution.
Because each class is based around an upcoming ENB production, there’s a focus on character, narrative and the art of ballet which is absent from more traditional forms of dance therapy, which just provide physical exercise. The focus on movement motifs and motivation from productions in the ENB repertoire adds a whole new dimension of creativity to the process. And it opens up an opportunity for activities that promote a range of emotional expressions that can help re-activate the eroded personality.
But a few days after being inspired and uplifted by what I observed in class, I can’t help thinking that ENB’s Dance for Parkinson’s initiative might have an even greater significance.
In highlighting the expressive and communicative power of dance, part of me wonders if the research could even hint at something scientists have puzzled over for decades – the purpose of dance, and why it evolved in the first place.
Related posts:
- Ballet Black: battling racism in the world of ballet
- Alice at the Royal Ballet: a risky gamble but it will work
- Britain is a world leader in contemporary dance – so don’t miss out
- It’s art – but is it good?
There are 6 comments on this post
Matthew,
Brilliant, brilliant piece.
This is authentic culture at its very best.
Very sensitive, very moving. And such an antidote to the cultural poison we presently endure.
Congratulations and a BIG thank you.
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Hear, hear. An uplifting piece and hope for those of us who are closer to alzheimers than acne.
Not being much of a ballet fan, I wonder if you could enquire if dancing (in private, you understand, don’t want to embarrass the children and grandchildren) to the Rolling Stones and other icons of my youth would have the same effect?
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hi just been looking at new ,, dancing helps pepole with parkinsons,as parkinson suffer ican see how helps,but where do we go from here,we read about these wonderful any ways to help and watch vidios listen to news events .then we never hear any more.dont let this one be the same where can we find these classes for pepole who are interested.dance of any kind will help.my regards jane.
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very interesting, thank you
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Yes, brilliant and inspiring. I don’t have Parkinson’s disease, but I do have a brain injury. My surgeon has encouraged me to think about the brain as ‘plastic’ that it has the ability to adapt and form new connections, and this is ultimately hopeful.
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A great article. Well done C4 for covering it and congratulations to ENB and Roehampton Uni for this wonderful project. For those with PD who are watching/reading this and are keen to find dance classes, see http://danceforparkinsons.org/
This site also has useful information on Dance for PD and links to other research.
ENB is part of a network of recognised Dance for PD practitioners in the UK, based on the model pioneered by Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn Parkinson’s Group. Sadly the UK network doesn’t cover the whole of the UK yet but interest is there so hopefuly it won’t be too long!!
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