Instructors from the world-renowned Joffrey Ballet dance company will host a unique, tuition-free Dancing with Parkinson’s Workshop at the Iowa City Senior Center this morning.
Parkinson’s disease affects the part of the brain that controls how the body moves, and it can impact how you walk, talk, sleep, and think.
Center coordinator LaTasha DeLoach says music and dance can help those people forget about the disease for a while and enjoy movement.
“The beautiful thing about music and Parkinson’s is that it does something to the brain and allows them to move differently and actually more how their bodies would work previous to their diagnosis,” DeLoach says. “So it actually works really well. We have other Parkinson’s groups and most of them are connected to music.”
The workshop is free and open to anyone, but pre-registration is required. DeLoach says this type of event provides a much-needed outlet for people with Parkinson’s.
DeLoach says, “Sometimes it’s really easy for people who have any special medical condition that has unique features to it, for them to have a space to gather, for them to have a space to continue to improve their quality of life.”
Access to creative expression is deeply important for all of us, she says, but especially those who are facing a challenging future from this progressive disease.
“It’s a diagnosis, right? Any diagnosis requires for people to adjust, to make different choices,” DeLoach says, “but people still need to be able to have fun. They still need to have an opportunity to connect, and this is a great opportunity for them to be able to do that.”
Instructors from the Chicago-based ballet troupe will guide workshop participants through elements of ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and improvisation while connecting movement with music, creativity, and community.
The workshop will be able to hold about three-dozen people and is scheduled to start at 11:30 AM. The Joffrey Ballet will be performing at Iowa City’s Hancher Auditorium March 7th.