YOUR HEALTH
Let’s dance – to your health A new movement class has opened in Lane Cove for people with restricted movement but is inclusive and welcomes anyone who wants to move more.
When the artistic director of a dance house in the Netherlands was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 37, the options for physical training with Parkinson’s were incredibly disappointing. So he asked house ballet master, Andrew Greenwood, to explore how dance could enhance both his physical and mental state. The results were astounding. Andrew developed a movement methodology by combining his ideas and further study in both science and dance with existing programs such as Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program and, in 2012, Dance for Health Foundation was born in Holland.
"Dance classes aim to boost all-round health, strength, balance, agility, and cognitive resilience."
classes can be felt by anyone who would like to benefit from more movement. North Shore local Sue, who attends the Lane Cove classes on Thursdays, has nothing but praise, "You don't need any costume or extra gear or equipment - you just walk in, sit down and dance! It's great fun, great exercise and the cherry on top is that it keeps my mind going as well! I'd recommend it to everyone - it doesn't matter how much or how little movement you have." Learning something new, especially when it requires mindbody coordination, is increasingly accepted as good for cognitive as well as physical function.
Gwen Korebrits, an ex-professional ballerina based in Australia, and Andrew's cousin, started open classes and home classes here using Andrew’s methodology. In 2016 Gwen connected with like-minded professionals, registered as a charity organisation, expanded the vision and rebranded as Dance Health Alliance (DHA). DHA’s research-based dance classes aim to boost all-round health, strength, balance, agility, and cognitive resilience, with its classes for retirees, for people with restricted movement and health conditions, and classes for people with dementia and their carers. “We look at the person as a whole – it is a holistic approach and form of therapy,” said Dance Health Alliance CEO, Gwen Korebrits. “The programs focus on the person, not a disease. There’s no labels within our classes, we are just all dancers.” DanceWell Classes, for people with restricted movement, have just launched in Lane Cove on Thursday mornings during school term. DanceWell classes were originally designed for people with restricted movement and any stage of Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, dementia, Alzheimer's and arthritis. However the benefits of the partly seated and partly standing 22 TVO AUGUST 2019
CONTACT info@dancehealthalliance.org.au or visit www.dancehealthalliance.org.au for more information on classes.
