Dear <<First Name>>,
This past month we took DWP on the road to dance with some of our beloved zoom dancers and meet them for the first time in real life!
First stop was Barrie to dance with Loranna and Bill who have both been taking our Zoom classes daily for years! Loranna loves costumes and has kept the DWP community dressing up and having fun, so on this day we dove into her tickle trunk, donned our hats and outfits, and had the best time dancing together right from her living room with 120 dancers on the virtual platform. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to Loranna as she packs up and moves to Calgary!
From there we traveled on to Sunset Manor long term care home in Collingwood where we danced with over 30 residents and staff outside in the glorious sunshine. Sarah co-taught the class with our DWP Collingwood instructor, Louise. It was extra special to have Andy Barrie, the inspiration behind DWP, dancing with us.
Next stop, a full class with the whole Living Better with PD crew in Collingwood. It was wonderful to meet and see, in-person, many of our dancers who Zoom into our daily classes. There really is nothing like a good old-fashioned hug!
And finally we offered a class in Innisfil where we met new DWP dancers who we look forward to getting to know better!
This type of connection is the absolute heart of who Dancing with Parkinson's is, and why we feel so passionately about what we do.
DWP so grateful to be part of our national community by offering virtual and in-person classes, and on occasion, leading the online Daily Dance Connect class from a participant's home and seniors residences!
We look forward to dancing with you this whole summer long…maybe at your house!
As always, thank you to our "dancers" for the inspiration.
My best,
Founder and Executive Director
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We are thrilled to congratulate Robin, one of our longtime, beloved DWP teachers, as she joins Sarah Robichaud as the second certified Dance for PD® Teaching Artist in Canada! Robin recently completed her advanced training in the Dance for PD® Method, and we are thrilled that she will be part of our instructor training team.
Congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment, Robin, and Claire Wootten, we are cheering you on as you complete your last step to also becoming certified!
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Intergenerational Dance Project with the Rosedale Day School
In May, DWP in-person dancers had the pleasure of dancing with grade one and two children from the Rosedale Day School.
DWP's Bridging Generations Through Dance Projects aim to build greater connection and understanding between seniors, those living with disability and youth, through the artistry of dance.
Our multi-layered and multi-dimensional workshop series was participant-led: students came with the prompts “I come from a place where”, and they added dance moves that represented the place from which they come. Together with our older dancers they combined movements and gestures to make phrases based on their own stories and shared commonalities.
We were all deeply moved by the powerful connections made between the children and the dancers, from sharing their stories to laughing and dancing together.
Special thanks to all who participated in helping to make this experience so impactful! We look forward to dancing with the children from Forest Hill public School this month!
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Fast Friends from a Shared Place
During our recent Intergenerational Dance Project with the Rosedale Day School and DWP dancers at Trinity St. Paul, two participants, Eileen and Angela started chatting.
Angela, a grade two student who recently moved to Toronto from Hong Kong, China, has been going through the motions of finding her feet in a new culture, immersed in a different language, with limited connections to home.
Eileen, who regularly joins the online and in-person classes, started asking Angela questions and, much to their surprise, discovered that they are both from the same neighbourhood in Hong Kong! They established a very special connection, sharing stories and reminding each other of home.
To say it was a meaningful experience for both would be putting it mildly! Our hearts felt so full witnessing this incredibly powerful moment between these new, fast friends.
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Outdoor classes opening soon!
In partnership with Parkinson's in the ParkTM, DWP will be taking the weekly in-person dance and movement class that is currently held at the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga, outdoors to Coronation Park in Oakville! This seated or standing class is open to people living with Parkinson's disease and their care partners, and will be offered outdoors for 4 weeks starting on June 7th. See our website for more information.
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Regent Park Classes in Full Swing!
Our Wednesday afternoon Regent Park classes, being offered in partnership with Friends of Regent Park, are in full swing! Last week this fun-loving group, who live in a Toronto Seniors Housing building, moved out onto the patio for an epic Abba dance in the sunshine and fresh air!
If you're in the area, we would love to have you join us! Click here for more info and to register.
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Dancing Across the Oceans and Time Zones!
On May 18th, DWP was invited to teach an online class for Dance for Parkinson's Australia to help launch their 10th anniversary. Robin led the class at 8pm EST, which was 8am in Australia. We couldn't imagine a better way to connect with our PD partners and fellow dancers down under!
Thank you for the opportunity, Dance for Parkinson's Australia, and happy anniversary!
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Webinar with SE Health
Many thanks to SE Health (one of Canada’s largest home care providers) for inviting Sarah and Jess to introduce the benefits of the Dancing With Parkinson's program to their occupational therapist and physiotherapist teams in the Niagara region!
As we expand across Canada, we are grateful for the opportunity to connect with care workers who work with people living with Parkinson's and seniors. We look forward to sharing the joy of movement with all of you!
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DWP is passionate about introducing our fun and beneficial program to new dancers by offering free demo classes, presentations and webinars! For more information about booking one for your group, please email us.
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Mime Workshop with Barbara Mathews
Earlier this month our Daily Dance Connect class welcomed Barbara Mathews back for a fascinating "Mime Over Mind" workshop!
In addition to being a retired teacher, a multi-disciplinary visual and performance artist living with Parkinson's disease, Barbara is also a mime! She first started studying and practicing mime when she was just 17 years old, and is currently working on an innovative program exploring mime as a powerful therapeutic and useful tool for others living with Parkinson's disease.
We loved learning and exploring with you, Barbara! Thank you for sharing this powerful visualization experience with us.
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"Mother Said" Poetry Workshop with Hal & Minter
“My thing is that poetry isn’t up in the clouds, it’s down on earth. And that we speak poetry every day without realizing it. That you make things concrete in poetry.” ~ Hal Sirowitz
Warmest thanks to Hal Sirowitz and to his partner, writer Minter Krotzer, for leading an accessible and engaging poetry workshop with the DWP community earlier this month. Inspired by his words (and his trademark deadpan delivery!), we had the opportunity to write and share our own Mother Said poems.
Included above is Hal's favourite poem, "Crumbs", and you can click here to watch the workshop and hear Hal recite his performance piece, "Chopped-Off Arm".
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On May 9th we heard from one of DWP's wonderful dance teachers, Lainie Magidsohn who spoke with us about her lifelong love affair with dance. She shared the ups and downs of the journey dance taken her on, and how she finally ended up learning the most valuable lessons dance had to teach her.
If you missed Lainie's Slice of Life presentation, we would be happy to send it to you! Feel free to email us at info@dancingwithparkinsons.com.
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Our Slice of Life series offers opportunities for DWP participants to share stories, life experiences, hobbies and passions for all of us to get to know one another better and possibly, learning something new.
We want to hear your story! If you are interested in sharing a slice of your life, please contact akhil@dancingwithparkinsons.com.
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Have you met Yolande?
Yolande Auger is a volunteer at the Monday in-person dance class at Trinity St. Paul. You will know her from her fantastic style, her radiant smile and her natural grace. She has been volunteering with Dancing with Parkinson's since day one after having met Sarah in an open dance class.
Yolande was born in Sainte-Foy, QC and grew up as an avid gymnast and dedicated ballerina. She left home at the age of 15 when she was accepted into the National Ballet School of Canada.
She began her professional dance career when she got her big break to join Swan Lake in 1975. She toured with the company until she was 36 years old when she retired from professional dance to raise her daughter. She has never strayed far from the world of dance, and is thrilled to share her passion and channel her purpose into the Dancing with Parkinson's community.
Thank you for your commitment to DWP, Yolande! We are so grateful for you.
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DWP is thrilled to be participating in the Ontario Brain Institute's upcoming public talk series, Brain Health Basics. This important and informative session will offer simple, insightful and science-backed ways to support brain function in everyday life.
At the 'Movement for Brain Health' event, Sarah Robichaud will share how daily movement to music has profound benefits for all of us.
This series is open to the public. We invite and encourage you to join! For more information, click on the poster below. To register for the event, click here:
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“Fantastic contribution to our health and fitness levels. The feeling of connection is invaluable. Kudos!”
~ DWP Dancer
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"DWP helped my Dad find motivation and confidence, as well as meaningful friendships."
~ Caregiver
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OUR DANCE AND ARTISTIC PROGRAMS ARE FREE OF CHARGE THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS.
PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING DWP'S MISSION TO SHARE THE JOY AND BENEFITS OF MOVEMENT, CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY WITH PEOPLE LIVING WITH PARKINSON'S AND SENIORS ACROSS CANADA.
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