Troupe of Dancers With Parkinson's Disease Perform On Stage For First Time in Berkeley

When organizers of the first dance class specifically for people with Parkinson's Disease looked 

to expand outside of New York City. Berkeley Ballet Theater's Susan Weber was their first phone call. 

Her professional background, and personal history with Parkinson's, made her the perfect fit. 

(Published Wednesday, Jun 3, 2015)

Updated at 8:21 AM PDT on Wednesday, Jun 3, 2015

Ask Susan Weber the reason she recently stepped down as Associate Artistic Director at Berkeley Dance Theater and she'll give you two.

Her grandchildren.

"I have two unbelievable grandbabies who I'm trying to spend more time with," Susan says.

Still, there is one dance class, on Monday afternoons, that Susan continues to teach. It's just too important to her, and her students.

Susan Weber, former Assistant Artistic Director at Berkeley Ballet Theater, is now the Director of the PD Dance program, a dance class specifically for people with Parkinson's Disease.

"I just feel so privileged to know these people," Susan says.

The students in that class are all people with Parkinson's Disease, a disorder of the nervous system affecting movement. Parkinson's most well-known symptom is an uncontrolled shaking or tremor in the hands.

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They may seem, on the surface, to be unlikely candidates for a dance class, but Susan has been teaching PD Dance since 2008 to great reviews. The idea for a PD Dance class originated in a New York City dance studio, but as soon as they decided to expand, Susan was one of the first people they called.

Susan's father, Eugene, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1984 at the age of 60. Thought not a trained dancer, Susan says her father loved to dance until his Parkinson's made that impossible.

The class is meant to encourage movement for the sake of dance, not for exercise or therapy. Still, Susan says he dancers leave her class feeling better both emotionally, and physically.

"He would have absolutely loved this class," Susan says.

Though not an exercise class or a form of therapy, the students often receive the benefits of both.

"You see in a difference in they way people walk into class, and how they walk out," Susan says. "They are smiling, their cheeks are pink, they are walking better, they are feeling better."

And this year, for the first time, the class wanted to share that good feeling with others.

This past Saturday, the PD Dance class performed on stage, in front of an audience, for the first time ever.

Though the class has been in existence since 2008, this past Sunday was the first time members of the class had ever performed on stage in front of an audience.

"It's probably good for me to do something to put myself in a vulnerable position," dancer Brenda Webster says. "Maybe that helps to move the audience.

Other dancers say their performance was a way to let other Parkinson's patients not only know about the class, but know they may be capable of more than they think.

Susan agrees.

"Being in a room with other people who are dealing with the same diagnosis and the same challenges is tremendously uplifting and supportive."

The PD Dance class meets every Monday at the Berkeley Ballet Theater. The theater is holding a fundraiser for the class on Saturday, June 6.

 http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Troupe-Of-Dancers-With-Parkinsons-Perform-On-Stage-For-First-Time-Berkeley-305939711.html

Link:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Troupe-Of-Dancers-With-Parkinsons-Perform-On-Stage-For-First-Time-Berkeley-305939711.html