by Rebecca Smythe

Graphic design by Vicky Lin

For many older adults living with limited mobility or Parkinson’s disease (PD), the idea of participating in exercise classes can be daunting—physically, financially, or emotionally. Despite this, each week the Hamilton City Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s classes allow dancers to log into Zoom from their living rooms and kitchens, transforming familiar spaces into places of movement, connection, and possibility. From the comfort of their own homes, dancers warm up with pony trots and rises, then raise their arms in graceful port de bras, using sturdy chairs as a barre to practice balance and movement. These classes transform ballet, which is traditionally considered an elite art form, into something far more accessible: a form of exercise therapy that allows people to join wherever they are; proving that movement, joy, creativity, and community extend beyond the studio. 

PD is a disorder of the nervous system, characterized by a range of motor symptoms including rigidity, tremors, gait dysfunction, and general slowness of movement.¹ Other non-motor symptoms include mood dysfunction, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and gastrointestinal troubles.¹ These symptoms are associated with significant burden and impact on quality of life.¹ Despite major research efforts towards finding a cure for PD, one still does not exist. Treatment for PD is largely pharmacological in nature, with drugs designed to replace or mimic dopamine.² While care is primarily coordinated on an outpatient basis, advanced surgical treatments such as deep brain stimulation, or complications of PD, can cause frequent hospital visits and stays.² Bringing PD care outside the clinic or the hospital can have a positive impact on both motor and non-motor symptoms, which can support quality of life and neuronal health.² Exercise therapies, such as ballet, are increasingly recognized as having positive effect on many PD symptoms, allowing people the opportunity to reclaim their body and facilitate social connection and support. 

The Hamilton City Ballet, located in Dundas, Ontario, has been offering their ‘Dance for Parkinson’s’ classes, for 13 years, and their online classes, for five. Together program director Jody White Van de Klippe and Institute of Medical Science PhD student Sara Corvinelli, who has helped lead and support classes for over nine years, aim to create a safe and welcoming space for Dance for Parkinson’s participants with varying levels of dance experience. Every class begins with a similar question: “What kind of a class are dancers looking for today?” The goals of the class are developed collaboratively to address the dancer’s individual goals. After this, a warmup consisting of pony trots and rises, which can be done seated or standing, is followed by an upper body warmup to prepare for the class ahead. Dancer safety remains at the forefront, ensuring all dancers are warmed up, have a chair next to them in place of a barre, and have plenty of opportunities to ask questions or express concerns. 

Jody and Sara support the dancers beyond just teaching them the moves. During class, dancers gain insights into functional anatomy to support a higher quality of movement through imagery and understanding. Classes are inspired by full length ballets including Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and many others. “We can actually imagine ourselves being ballerinas,” one dancer shared with a smile. Ballet differs from other forms of exercise, as it is not simply movement to music, but designed so that dancers are able to feel gracefulness and musicality throughout.

In addition to weekly ballet, relaxation classes are offered that utilize the Franklin Method, or Dynamic Neuro-Cognitive Imagery. This is a systematic, imagery-based therapy that retrains posture, movement, and cognition by helping the brain form more accurate physical representations of the body.³ These classes are 20-minute sessions supported by calming instrumental music. “My restless leg syndrome is a part of my Parkinson’s that gets worse at night,” says one dancer. “The relaxation classes and ballet help stretch and relax my muscles.” Classes occur later in the evening, and dancers have shared that it has been tremendously helpful to attend these classes before going to bed at night.

Many dancers expressed that they engage in a variety of exercise therapies but emphasized that ballet classes are unique because they highlight specific body movements. As one dancer described, “Ballet is all about movements that you wouldn’t do in a traditional exercise or aerobics class. We float, or at least it feels like I do.” Jody works to emphasize the artistry of the motions, in addition to teaching the movements and alleviating tremors via muscle activation. As one dancer further explained, “Parkinson’s wants to tighten up our muscles and shrink us, but ballet gives us the opportunity to stretch those muscles again—we get to counteract the physical restrictions that Parkinson’s wants to give us.” Through gentle stretches, posture work, and controlled movement, participants describe the class as a way of reclaiming space within their bodies and resisting the physical limitations that PD can impose.

Beyond the physical benefits of ballet, the camaraderie and social aspect of classes is also impactful. The 15-minute social time before each class allows dancers to connect and talk about whatever is on their mind. This can range from sharing recipes with one another to talking about symptom flare-ups of PD. “I’ve never met anyone in person, but they are my best friends,” said one dancer. These friendships create a supportive community, working to complement the physical benefits of dance, and extend positive effects beyond classes.  

Although these classes are primarily held via Zoom, class outings and social excursions are also offered. An annual local boat cruise on the Stratford River allows the Dance for Parkinson’s community to come together and celebrate all that they have accomplished. Occasionally, they also visit local ballet stores to equip dancers with slipper fittings and other gear to support their dancing. The Dance for Parkinson’s program has also made a global impact. They have participated in World Parkinson’s Day and the National Ballet Congress by preparing performance videos, sharing their love for dance and performance with people worldwide. A group of dancers even authored a book titled Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Now What?, available upon request, where they share their stories. You can find videos, resources, information, and more on the Dance for Parkinson’s Instagram page @hopethrudance. 

In many ways, the virtual ballet classes hosted by Hamilton City Ballet are about far more than just dance. They are about preserving independence, fostering connection, and creating moments of joy. Dancers can strengthen their muscles and practice balance from the comfort of their own homes, at no cost, while challenging assumptions about aging and disability. As the music fades and screens begin to log off at the end of class, one thing remains clear. Even through Zoom, ballet has become a powerful form of exercise therapy proving that movement and community can continue to bring hope through dance. 

References

1. Podlewska AM, Batzu L, Soukup T, et al. The PD-ballet study: Study protocol for a randomised controlled single-blind hybrid type 2 clinical trial evaluating the effects of ballet dancing on motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024;24(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s12906-023-04296-y
2. Jankovic J, Aguilar LG. Current approaches to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2008;4(4):743-57. doi: 10.2147/ndt.s2006
3. Abraham A, Hart A, Andrade I, et al. Dynamic neuro-cognitive imagery improves mental imagery ability, disease severity, and motor and cognitive functions in people with Parkinson’s disease. Neural Plast. 2018. doi: 10.1155/2018/6168507