Photo by Amber Star Merkens
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton University Concerts (PUC) began its Healing with Music concert/conversation series in 2022 to shine a light on the ways music plays an integral role in people's lives, particularly in the face of personal upheaval and adversity. On Sunday, March 3, 2024, PUC will host a Healing with Music event exploring the intersection of music, dance, and Parkinson's Disease. As part of this experiential panel, led by Dance for PD®'s founding teacher and Program Director David Leventhal and experts including Dr. Concheta Tomaino and Princeton University Professor Elizabeth Margulis, Dance for PD® participants will present adapted Mark Morris choreography, an excerpt of his piece Falling Down Stairs set to the Bourrée from the Suite No. 3 for Unaccompanied Cello by J.S. Bach, which will be played live by cellist Joshua Roman as part of this Healing with Music event.
In the lead up to this event, American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is offering free Dance for PD® classes for people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers, both in person and online, beginning Monday, July 31, 2023 with a five-week summer session at their Princeton location at 301 North Harrison Street (in the Princeton Shopping Center, above McCaffrey’s Supermarket).
Taught by trained Dance for PD® instructor Rachel Stanislawczyk, these classes create a warm sanctuary for movement exploration and a social atmosphere to support artistic venture. All classes are open to all levels of ability. Class participants will learn adapted movement from the Bourrée section of Mark Morris’ work Falling Down Stairs and will have the option to showcase what they have been working on as part of the Healing with Music event on Sunday, March 3, 2024. All class participants will receive a free ticket to this event.
Princeton Ballet School, the Official School of American Repertory Ballet 5-week Summer Session.
PRINCETON - Classes are held at 301 N. Harrison St, 2nd Floor, Princeton, NJ on Mondays from 2:00pm – 3:15pm. Dates included: July 31, August 7, 14, 21, 28. FREE OF CHARGE to participants and caregivers.
Middletown Arts Center - 36 Church St, Middletown Township, NJ. Classes are held on Mondays from 4:15pm – 5:30pm. This program is ongoing. FREE OF CHARGE to participants and caregivers.
Zoom - Thursdays from 11:00am – 12:00pm. This program is ongoing. FREE OF CHARGE to participants and caregivers.
For more detailed information and Zoom link email Rachel at [email protected], or call Lindsay Cahill at 732.249.1254, ext. 19
This program is supported by a community grant from The Parkinson’s Foundation.
This program is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
To learn more, visit ARB’s website or call their official school, Princeton Ballet School, at (609) 921-7758 for more information.
“We are thrilled to partner with Princeton University Concerts,” says ARB Executive Director Julie Diana Hench. “Dance for PD® encourages participants not only to ‘think like dancers’ but also to think like musicians as well. Moving to music unlocks so much, especially for people living with Parkinson’s disease. This partnership with PUC presents a unique, holistic opportunity to expand on ARB's Dance for Parkinson’s program and offer a collaborative source of exploration, education, and inspiration.”
On Monday, March 4, 2024 at 7:00pm the Princeton Garden Theatre and PUC have also collaborated to screen David Iverson’s documentary Capturing Grace, which affords audiences an inside look at the Dance for PD® program and its therapeutic benefits. “What happens to me when my feet feel like glue and they’re stuck on the floor — I sometimes cannot walk, but I can dance…the music leads me to a place where I am weightless” shares Cyndy, a participant of Dance for PD® (Parkinson’s Disease). Countless accounts like Cyndy’s are shared throughout David Iverson’s documentary about the Dance for PD® program, Capturing Grace. Iverson, who also has first-hand experience dealing with Parkinson’s Disease and participating in Dance for PD® classes, will participate in a live Q&A after the screening.
“Healing with Music has always been about continuing the dialogue around the vital role music plays in our lives,” says PUC Outreach Manager Dasha Koltunyuk. “These partnership programs around our Dance for PD® Healing with Music program allow this dialogue to extend and continue further than ever before. We are so glad to be able to support the Parkinson’s community through the Healing with Music event itself and the collaborations which have blossomed from it.”
PUC at the Movies: Capturing Grace documentary screening and post-screening Q&A with director David Iverson on Monday, March 4, 2024, 7:00pm. The Princeton Garden Theatre is located at 160 Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey.
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