{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"138: Dance for Parkinson\u2019s Disease","description":"This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews David Leventhal, Program Director at Dance for PD \u2014 a part of the Mark Morris Dance Group. Through the program \u2014 which is on its 20th year \u2014 David teaches dance classes for people living with Parkinson\u2019s disease and trains other teaching artists to do the same. What started as a humble six-person dance class has now grown to serve 300 communities across 30 different countries. David has received numerous humanitarian awards for his work and has contributed to several books and peer-reviewed studies on dance and Parkinson\u2019s Disease. David is a true believer in the healing power of dance and is proactively teaching others to also believe. There\u2019s a reason why his course has exploded over the past 20 years \u2014 the effect of dance on those with Parkinson\u2019s Disease is simply too great to deny. On the podcast, David gives a brief history of Dance for PD and explains why he believes music and movement has a profound impact on all people \u2014 but especially on those with Parkinson\u2019s. Moving Quotes: \u201dIt\u2019s that combination of the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional \u2014 together, inseparable \u2014 that makes dance such a powerful tool to maintain wellbeing and quality of life for everybody. But, particularly, for people with Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d \u201cDance and dancers have a significant role in maintaining and improving quality of life among our older neighbors \u2014 and, in our case, among people with Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d \u201dIn our classes, we\u2019re not there to teach a therapy session. We\u2019re not there to talk about Parkinson\u2019s. We\u2019re there to address movement as dancers. And it\u2019s helpful for people with Parkinson\u2019s to think about movement the way that dancers do.\u201d \u201dMusic is like a red carpet that rolls out in front of you. Dance and music together are a red carpet that provides a roadmap for people with Parkinson\u2019s to move.\u201d \u201dKeep your eyes open for opportunities that interest you.\u201d \u201dFollow your passions. Multiple passions. Sometimes dancers get trapped in that one passion. As much as you love dance and are committed to it, keep thinking about other things that interest you\u2026 Keep nurturing those other passions while you\u2019re still dancing.\u201d   Bullet Points (w\/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed: 2:49: David discusses the joy of leading a program that\u2019s going on its 20th year and the role of dance in helping those with Parkinson\u2019s Disease. 5:19: David gives a brief history of his program and details what\u2019s involved. 10:19: Leventhal explains the events that led to his company growing from a small 6-person class to a global network. 14:03: David describes the three distinct groups of people that have been integral to the program\u2019s growth. 18:30: Leventhal gives his theories on why music and movement are uniquely effective versus traditional therapy methods. 25:56: David describes how his Dance for PD courses are both similar and different from country-to-country. 31:25: Leventhal, who holds a nontraditional career in dance, gives some advice for anyone pursuing a career in dance that\u2019s away from the stage. 37:12: David discusses the future for Dance for PD and how he\u2019d like the company to become more accessible in many different ways.   Bullet List of Resources \u2013  David Leventhal LinkedIn Dance for PD Company Website Twitter Facebook   ","author_name":"5.6.7.EIGHT","author_url":"http:\/\/567eight.libsyn.com\/website","html":"