The joy of volunteering with Dance for Parkinson’s

Getting involved in Dance for Parkinson’s  

Dance for Parkinson’s is English National Ballet’s Creative Health Programme supporting people living with Parkinson’s through the joy of dance, music and socialisation. 

Meet Emma, who has been volunteering for just over a year and Mads, who has been attending classes as a volunteer since autumn 2025 after being inspired by a university lecturer to get involved. Both were drawn to the programme by the immense power of community dance and inspired by the research and creativity of the Company.

What the role of a volunteer looks like  

Being a volunteer on English National Ballet’s  Dance for Parkinson’s (DfP) programme is a fun and rewarding way to make a difference whilst joining a wonderful community of artists and dancers.  

Without the dedication and diligence of our volunteering cohort the classes simply wouldn’t be able to run. 

A typical day as a DfP volunteer starts with a team meeting with the ENB Associate Artist team and fellow volunteers. Here, the volunteers find out what the class will look like for that day and be assigned their specific roles.  

Volunteers are the first to welcome the DfP dancers when they arrive at English National Ballet’s studios. After checking them in, they take the dancers to the studio ready for class.  

During the class, volunteers take part in the dancing, while also keeping an eye out for anyone who might need a little extra support. Volunteers may help demonstrate some of the movements that the artists teach, and partner with dancers for creative movement tasks. They are on hand to ensure the class runs smoothly and that everyone has a great time!  

No Dance for Parkinson’s class is ever complete without refreshments and chatting. Volunteers help to serve hot drinks and biscuits after class and take part in social time with the dancers.  

For Mads it’s the engaged and supportive atmosphere that keeps them coming back.  

I really enjoy getting to connect with people through movement and witnessing the positive community environment of each class.

Emma says:

I love talking with everyone and learning about their interests, and it’s so incredible to witness the creativity that blossoms through movement in these classes.

Learning ENB repertoire 

Artistry is at the heart of ENB’s Creative Health programmes with each class directly linked to the Company’s repertoire. This means that the DfP dancers get to experience the same choreography as the company dancers.

While Emma enjoys all aspects of these classes, her favourite part of volunteering is the artistic connection of the DfP sessions to English National Ballet repertoire.  

I think the choreographic adaptations are brilliant and it’s so fun to see how the dancers express the movements in their own way.

For Mads, it’s the opportunity to be creative, share ideas and come up with something new in improvisation tasks. They love the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the classes, and the real community feel that it inspires.  

Taking Dance for Parkinson’s to new places 

Emma recently volunteered with Dance for Parkinson’s at the Let’s Dance launch day, at the Old Bailey in London.  

Seeing some of the DfP dancers perform beautiful choreography at the Old Bailey in London was a feeling I can’t quite incapsulate in words. I was overwhelmed by the joy and beauty that filled the dancers as they moved.

 

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A recent highlight for Mads was experiencing behind-the-scenes of our brand-new national Dance for Parkinson’s film, The Thread Between Us.  

Inspired by Akram Khan’s Giselle, Dance for Parkinson’s national hubs from across the UK took part in a creative process, filming sections of choreography on location, culminating in a brand-new dance film. Mads particularly loved helping the dancers prepare for their film shoot and seeing it all come together.  

What does Dance for Parkinson’s mean to you?  

Both volunteers are incredibly enthusiastic about being a part of the Dance for Parkinson’s programme. 

For Mads, the warm and welcoming nature of the classes is what keeps them coming back. Feeling inspired and motivated, they learnt a lot about the process of facilitating dance classes and unexpectedly gained a better sense of flexibility and adaptability too. 

For Emma, there is a tangible atmosphere of welcome and support, while also a healthy spirit of challenge and vigour. She loves that the energy is vibrant, curious, and playful. 

I’m thinking about getting involved…  

Emma and Mads’ advice? Go for it!  

“Dance for Parkinson’s is joyful, heartening and motivational. I would say that it is a really great programme for anybody interested in dance or working with underserved populations (or both!)” Mads says. 

For Emma: “I think this has been one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences I have ever been a part of. You feel included in something so lovely for everyone while learning so much along the way. Incredibly rewarding experience that opens your eyes to the possibilities within the Arts!”

English National Ballet is committed to helping more people to discover the joy of dance and to be moved in more ways. If you’re interested in volunteering on one of our Creative Health programmes, you can find out more information here.