Kevin H. Kim (University High School 11th Grade)

Parkinson’s patients demonstrate significant improvement in their balance and gait after taking a series of dance classes. [George Skene, Orlando Sentinel]

This past year I recently lost my grandfather to Parkinson’s disease (PD). What makes PD especially difficult is the way in which it breaks down the body, making every day activities challenging.

I watched as slowly he lost the ability to play sports and eventually even the most routine tasks like taking a walk became impossible without help.

In medical terms, Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The most obvious symptoms are movement-related-shaking, slowness of movement, difficulty with walking, and rigidity. This eventually spreads to the mind, causing problems in basic thinking and often resulting in depression.

The regular therapy sessions and medication did not seem to slow the effects of PD or improve the physical health of my grandfather. What did prove to be a powerful therapeutic treatment was healing through dance. Realizing that recovery encompassed more than just physical healing, Olie Westheimer created Brooklyn Parkinson Group, an organization dedicated to combatting the depression that often settles in patients with PD. In 2001, The Brooklyn Parkinson Group and the Mark Morris Dance Group teamed up to create Dance for PD, a non-profit organization that provides free dance classes to people with Parkinson’s.

Why dance? In therapy, patients work on very specific task-orientated movements. “Dance gives people a way to think about movement in a way that is less mechanical and more about using the imagination in the service of movement,” says Leventhal, one of the co-founding teachers of the dance program. Dance is also a stimulating mental activity that connects the mind to the body. It focuses the attention on eyes, ears, and touch as tools to assist in movement and balance. Participants also see improvements in muscle control and posture.

More importantly, attending dance classes helps patients feel a sense of community and creativity, an area not addressed in conventional therapy. The class forms a support community where patients can stop feeling like outsiders but rather create their own social circle with fellow members. The effects are truly touching. Although patients walk in slowly encumbered by physical limitations, the symptoms seem to disappear once the music starts.