Dance for Parkinson’s

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Supporting people living with Parkinson’s through the joy of dance, music and socialisation.

Established in 2010, English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme offers a warm welcome to join our English National Ballet DfP family. The programme invites you to experience the joy of dancing to live music, socialising and meeting new people, seeing dance performances, and offers unique opportunities to meet creatives and world renowned guest artists. Classes welcome people living with Parkinson’s, along with their families, loved ones and carers.

About the programme

English National Ballet classes take place at ENB’s studios at the Mulryan Centre for Dance and in partnership with hub partners: Royal Albert Hall in London, DanceEast in Ipswich, Liverpool Hope University in Liverpool, Oxford City Council and MuMo Creative in Oxford and affiliated hub partner National Dance Company Wales in Cardiff.

Classes take place in person at our premises and with our hub partners and affiliate hub partner. We will also provide classes as an online national offer, accessible to anyone living in the UK with Parkinson’s, their families and carers.

ENB’s classes are welcoming and full of joy! Inspired by the company’s classical and contemporary repertoire – from Swan Lake to Akram Khan’s Giselle, and from William Forsythe’s Playlist (Track 1, 2) to Nutcracker, each term we creatively explore the themes, music and choreographic language and view the production as a whole on-stage or online.

What people say

You don't think of Parkinson's, you just think of everything else... everybody's in it together, to help and to socialise and enjoy themselves.
Sally, Participant of English National Ballet's Dance for Parkinson's in Oxford
The image shows a joyful moment in a dance class, where a man and woman are smiling at each other while participating in a partnered exercise. They are facing each other, lightly touching their hands together as part of the dance activity. The scene takes place in a well-lit room, with other participants visible in the background. The atmosphere is one of warmth, connection, and enjoyment, reflecting the social and physical benefits of dance classes for individuals with Parkinson's.
As a worn out (!) carer I found the whole experience of being involved with your team uplifting reinvigorating and what a wonderful way to give one a sense of worth, to be able to think with a tingling down the back we have danced with the greats!
Participant of English National Ballet's Dance for Parkinson's in London
English National Ballet classes have made such a positive impact on my life and the benefits are enormous to health and well-being.
Participant of English National Ballet's Dance for Parkinson's in London

Why dance?

The components of the dance class, the artistic freedom and the social aspect of ENB’s Dance for Parkinson’s can help with managing daily living with Parkinson’s. Dancing can enhance fluidity of movement, develop postural stability, flexibility of the spine and improve balance. The use of rhythm and voice can help with cueing movement and expression.

Book a Class

SHAPER

Scaling-up Health-Arts Programmes: Implementation and Effectiveness Research


As part of King’s College London and UCL world’s largest study into the impact and scalability of arts interventions on physical and mental health (supported by the Wellcome Trust), ENB’s dance for people living with Parkinson’s will be trialled among larger groups of people within NHS hospitals and health centres alongside arts interventions led by Breathe Arts and Stroke Odysseys. Read more here.

ENB’s Dance for Parkinson’s was a model for ground-breaking research published in 2015 by Dr. Sara Houston from Roehampton University: English National Ballet, Dance for Parkinson’s: An Investigative Study 2; and is a case study for Mayor of London, London Health Inequalities Strategy as a case study for A Fairer, Healthier London.

Volunteer Programme

English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme is supported by a generous team of volunteers. Find out more about how you could get involved.
Dance Health Volunteers

Supporters

English National Ballet is proud to be a member of the Dance for PD® membership programme, an affiliated member of People Dancing, and Dance for Parkinson’s Partnership UK; co-delivering structured training programmes and supporting the development of this work in the industry. Dance for Parkinson’s is generously supported by Backstage Trust, City Bridge Trust (City of London), Colwinston Charitable Trust, The Derrill Allatt Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, G&K Boyes Charitable Trust, Linbury Trust, London Marathon Charitable Trust, and Vandervell Foundation.

Dance for Parkinson’s is generously supported by Backstage Trust, City Bridge Trust (City of London), Colwinston Charitable Trust, The Derrill Allatt Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, G&K Boyes Charitable Trust, Linbury Trust, London Marathon Charitable Trust, and Vandervell Foundation.

 

Credits

Hub Partners

 

Affiliated Hub Partner