USA: The Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn offers hope to sufferers of Parkinson's disease in Brooklyn, New York

Record ID: 243166

  • Title: USA: The Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn offers hope to sufferers of Parkinson's disease in Brooklyn, New York
  • Date: 21st February 2009
  • Summary: MAN PLAYING PIANO PIANO KEYS OLIE WESTHEIMER DANCING
  • Embargoed: 8th March 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVA38GHWN6BIA088FY5QJM2QIKBI
  • Story Text: It's not your average dance class. For starters, the dancers spend most of their time sitting on chairs. They're also a little off-beat at times, not that anyone minds. That's because all the participants have Parkinson's disease.
    For years, the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn has been offering hope to sufferers of the degenerative brain disorder through special weekly dance classes. The brainchild of Olie Westheimer, what began as an informal support group of three to four people back in 1999, has today turned into a full class of 35. Westheimer, who has formal dance training, says she came up with the idea after studying linguistics at university.

    "Dance is a, you don't dance with your body, you dance with your brain. Your brain is controlling what you do with your body. And I just saw that learning that would be exceedingly useful for people with Parkinson's," explains Westheimer.
    A movement disorder, symptoms of Parkinson's disease include muscle rigidity, a slowing of physical movement, and involuntary body tremors.
    There's no scientific proof that dance helps relieve symptoms of the disease, and the class is far from a cure. But for sufferers like Cindy Gilbertson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's more than 10 years ago, the dance sessions are a lifeline.

    "It's really... I'm sorry. It's nearly taken everything away. I have to struggle to maintain a life. So this is.. the camaraderie here is very important," says an emotional Gilbertson.
    Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1996, Carroll Neesemann told Reuters the disease destroyed his career as a successful lawyer. He says dancing is his own way of fighting back, although he sometimes struggles to remember all the steps.

    "The disaster is if you sit around and do nothing. You've got to be active, or it overtakes you. And this is a wonderful way to spend your time," Neesemann says.
    The hour-long dance class begins with the use of chairs. Accompanied by live music by pianist William Wade, the participants gradually move from their seats to the use of a bar, and eventually dance unaided.

    "They feel normal, like they're doing something out in the community. This isn't a hospital, it's a center where little kids are running around with their parents, and older people come for classes, and they're here too, taking a class," says Westheimer.
    Those with Parkinson's aren't the only ones benefiting from the dance classes. Their loved ones, or caregivers are invited, and encouraged to participate as well. Bobbye Butts has been caring for her husband Reginald full-time since he was diagnosed three years ago. She says the regular dance sessions are uplifting for both her's and her husband's spirits.

    "For me and for him, I find that we've met a group of people who have this serious affliction who do not seem to be preoccupied with it. They come to the class, it seems that they forget their physical limitations, their mental limitations, and everybody seems to be on the same plane," says Butts.
    The classes are often run by three dancers at once. Teacher David Leventhal says it's one of the most rewarding things he's ever done, and that he notices a big difference from when people arrive, to when they leave at the end of the hour long session.

    "I see a difference of attitude, of mindset. I see a difference in posture. People are breathing more fully, they're standing up taller when they leave the class. But more than anything else, I see an engagement in their eyes. I see that something has touched them, that they are awakened in a way that they weren't when they came in here. That they're able to cope with the rest of their lives, at least the rest of their days a little bit more easily because they've had this experience," Leventhal says.
    At the end of each class, holding hands, the group forms a circle, passing along a friendly 'squeeze' to one of the most hopeful of songs, 'Somewhere over the Rainbow.'
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