Ballet Victoria hopes to enhance the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions affecting motor control with a program that promotes physical, emotional and psychological well-being through dance.
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the brain. The cause remains largely unknown, and there is no known cure at this time.
Apart from tremors, one of the signs of the disease is impaired posture and balance. A cognitive symptom is the deterioration of spatial ability.
Ballet Victoria’s pilot project looks to introduce dance movement as an artistic approach to improving the quality of life of people living with the disease.
“Numerous studies have indicated that dance is uniquely beneficial for people living with Parkinson’s disease,” said Paul Destrooper, executive director for Ballet Victoria. “Dance movement helps develop spatial awareness in a person. It is hoped that by stimulating the brain, it can create new synaptic connections, tricking the brain into developing new motor skills.”
The hope is that learning new dance movements can result in improved gait, posture and balance.
But Destrooper says that it’s not all about flexibility.
He said that research has shown that when people with Parkinson’s disease hear music, their brainwaves change — the whole brain lights up.
“When movement is put to music — a classical melody in this case — it allows people to better mirror what they see and allows for a greater level of control and focus.”
Apart from the benefit of exercise and physical activity, dance classes are usually the perfect environment for social engagement with peers.
“We’re not pretending this pilot project will heal anyone,” said Destrooper. “We just want to improve their quality of life and make an art form accessible to all.”
This community program was funded by the Victoria Foundation. It was due to launch in the spring, but like many other programs, has been temporarily delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
For more information, go to balletvictoria.ca.
