Celebrating 10 Years of Dance for Parkinson’s in Cardiff

What is Dance for Parkinson’s?

English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s (DfP) programme offers people living with Parkinson’s the benefits of a recognised and evidence-based dance programme with live music and wider cultural engagement opportunities for better health and well-being.

Inspired by both National Dance Company Wales and English National Ballet’s repertoire, the weekly sessions provide a fun and informal way to discover the themes, music and choreography of the works, whilst encouraging movement, creativity and use of voice. Proven to support people with Parkinson’s, the sessions aim to develop self-confidence and strength, whilst temporarily relieving some participants of their day-to-day symptoms.

Further enrichment activities include theatre visits and behind-the-scenes events.

Dance for Parkinson’s has opened us up to what we can do, rather than focusing on what we can’t. We have recognized that we can do more, and are encouraged to try something new that will exercise our bodies and minds.

Participant Dance for Parkinson’s, Cardiff

Our History in Wales

English National Ballet delivers its Dance for Parkinson’s programme through a national network of affiliated hub partners.  Establishing Dance for Parkinson’s in 2010, English National Ballet scaled up and expanded the national reach of the programme leading to a new partnership with National Dance Company Wales in 2015.

The partnership brought Dance for Parkinson’s to the Dance House, Cardiff, embedding a high quality delivery model in the region and investing in local artists through skill sharing and professional development. The initial pilot welcomed over 80 people across South East Wales to experience the joy of the programme.

Its success helped further expand the programme across South Wales into Blackwood Minors Institute, and in 2021 to North Wales through partnerships with Pontio, Bangor, and Coleg Cambria, Wrexham.

Ten years since it started, Dance for Parkinson’s programme in Wales, continues to deliver a high-quality, creative offer for people living with Parkinson’s. Across the region, groups continue to expand and have developed supportive communities, connected through creativity and shared experience.

Recent Activity

Just last year, Dance for Parkinson’s hub in Cardiff participated in a dance-film project starring Dance for Parkinson’s dancers across all English National Ballet affiliated hub partners. Produced by English National Ballet, Morning Rhapsody is an original dance film choreographed by Stina Quagebeur, that premiered as part of Creativity and Wellbeing Week, 2024.

In recent celebration of National Dance Company Wales’s 10 year anniversary of delivering Dance for Parkinson’s in partnership with English National Ballet (ENB), the Cardiff Dance for Parkinson’s dancers welcomed English National Ballet’s First Soloist James Streeter, to one of their weekly classes at the Dance House, bringing world-class artistry directly into the studio!

The session was led by experienced ENB Associate Artists, Yvette Wilson and Helen Woods, welcoming our 15 regular participants, along with a few carers and family members. The session was inspired by Errand into the Maze, choreographed by Martha Graham, which English National Ballet premiered at Sadler’s Wells in October 2025.

James Streeter shared behind-the-scenes insights into the work, and performed extracts from the choreography. James supported the Associate Artists with creative tasks, and the session culminated in a Q&A. The class ended with warm applause, big smiles and a shared sense of achievement.

Reflections on a Decade of Dance

From Yvette Wilson, Associate Artist

“For me, personally it is seeing the transformation that takes place from the start of the class to the end of a session: confidence grows, movements become bigger, postures become more lifted and open.

Over the ten years that I have been privileged to co-deliver the Dance for Parkinson’s sessions in Cardiff it has been so heartwarming to see the positive impact the programme has had on so many people affected by Parkinson’s.  I feel that the group becomes an extended family for the participants: dancers and their partners and families alike sharing experiences and supporting one another on their individual journeys. The programme has the magical ability to connect physically, socially and emotionally. and that is why after ten years it is still continuing to grow from strength to strength.”

From Bakani Pick-Up, CEO of National Dance Company Wales

“Dance for Parkinson’s is incredibly special, it’s clear to me that people come to the classes not just for the physical benefits but for the social too. The Dance House has become a space where friends come to meet and move together – and those relationships are a real testament to the dedication of our class leaders Helen and Yvette who have welcomed participants to the class for the last decade, and to our volunteers and funders without whom the programme could exist.

This year also marks the 10 year anniversary of our incredible partnership with English National Ballet which is a testament to the wonderful things can happen through true collaboration.”

From Fleur Derbyshire-Fox, Engagement Director at English National Ballet

“We join National Dance Company of Wales in celebrating the amazing achievement of over a decade of Dance for Parkinson’s at The Dance House, Cardiff. The Dance for Parkinson’s community is flourishing in Wales and made possible through the authentic collaboration of two great national dance companies, English National Ballet and National Dance Company Wales, building a foundational programme for people living with Parkinson’s to feel the joy, connection and physical and mental benefits of dance and significantly, to be empowered.”

Find out more about English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme, and how to join the Cardiff sessions here