By C.J.
Dancing brings great joy and wellness to the world. Damar Vita Ganley & Abra Allan, two local women with rhythm and grace came together to begin a Pilot Program for Dance for Parkinson’s. They searched for someone to match their enthusiasm with some funding.
They thought of Tony Walker of ComForCare Senior Services, known for his commitment to education and community. From 1985 thru’ 2012, Tony served as a trustee of Gateway School (private elementary K thru’ 8th grade) and has been a member of the Advisory Council for the College of Business at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) since 2001 and is a champion for innovation.
Walker was honored to be included in their dream. His service to the community is based on his vision stated on his ComForCare web site and business card, “live your best life possible!” Their proposal, clearly in alignment with his philosophy, was to assist the many families in our area with care and exercise for their loved ones challenged with Parkinson’s. Walker’s close friend Brian Meikle had died from this disease March 30, 2015.
Parkinson’s Disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system mainly affecting the motor system. In Walker’s heart, the funding of Motion Pacific’s Dance For Parkinson’s feels like a fitting memorial to a dear friend who danced through life with gratitude and kindness.
Parkinson’s Dance Classes are lead by professional dancers who are trained Dance for Parkinson’s teachers.
The experience is for anyone with Parkinson’s no matter how advanced the disease. The teachers make movement modifications for each student’s situation. No dance experience is required and there is no charge to participate.
With Dance for Parkinson’s teachers Damara Vita Ganley, Molly Katzman and Katie Griffin along with live musical accompaniment by celebrated musician John Malkin, the classes are based on the internationally renowned Dance for PD® program designed by the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group. Using these methods, professional dancers draw on their expertise and artistic experience for people with Parkinson’s Disease to engage sight, sound, touch, thought, and imagination to inspire movement, expression and community.
Damara Vita Ganley is a West Coast dance artist and educator with extensive national and international performance experience. She began teaching Dance for Parkinson’s in 2008 and has since facilitated a weekly class at The Parkinson’s Institute as well as teaching programs in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Santa Cruz. She recently launched a Dance for Parkinson’s program within the new Stanford Neuroscience Health Center fully supported with a grant from the National Parkinson’s Foundation. In 2012 she presented this work at Stanford’s Neuroscience Symposium Exercise and the Brain.
As an affiliate with the Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for Parkinson’s program, this work supports her commitment to dance as transformative and vital.
The classes are held at Motion Pacific’s spacious and easily accessible dance studio. Motion Pacific’s programs are dramatically expanding to provide enhanced artistic opportunities, spark greater social awareness and put more people in motion.
Motion Pacific Dance strives to deepen relationships throughout our community, become an even greater resource to artists, and inspire broader community engagement. Executive Director, Abra Allan, is also promoting Dance for Parkinson’s.
Scheduled to coordinate with the Santa Cruz County Parkinson’s Support Group, the first class is, “Ongoing every Wednesday except for the first Wednesday of each month” and will continue through November 2016.
For more information about Dance for Parkinson’s visit www.motionpacific.com/dance-for-parkinsons-new where you can view the complete bios of the teachers and see their full schedule of classes for children and adults.
•••
For comments about this article, or suggestions for further topics contact [email protected], where she is mischievously Aging In & Out of Place.