News & Press
Dancer spotlights, recent news, and press from our community!
NEW Weekly Class Alert!
Beginning Friday November 3rd, Dancing Through Parkinson’s will be opening a new weekly class hosted at Crenshaw Yoga & Dance!
Join us for our first class and each following Friday! Can’t wait to have another chance to move with you during the week.
Time: Fridays 1:30-2:30pm
Location: 5426 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043
Parking: Metered parking + free neighborhood parking lot.
Click for a map to Crenshaw Yoga & Dance
This programming is made possible by Los Angeles County District 2, Holly Mitchell
DTP’s dance film Blossomed receives
Honorary Mention at the
World Parkinson Congress 2023!
DTP PRESS LIST
NPR
Dance Returns The ‘Joy of Movement’ To People With Parkinson’s
Telemundo
Enfermos de Párkinson “danzan a su propio ritmo”
Patch
Dancing Through Parkinson’s Keeps Moving On Zoom
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DANCER SPOTLIGHTS!
Brian Tagomori
Brian has played the guitar since the age of eleven, and his music has graced our DTP classes, led by his instructor Heidi Buehler, at the LA Star Dance Studio in Tarzana. Brian feels as though his days of playing are numbered, “It’s both my escapism and my reality check. When I’m playing guitar, I feel transported to living out that young dream of worry free rock stardom.” His lyrics took on a whole new meaning for him when the participants danced to his music in class, giving him a sense of community on a new artistic level. DTP is excited to collaborate with Brian on an upcoming DTP-Zoom song project. Brian, we are honored to have you.
Ross and Rochelle Caballero
Ross became depressed when he was diagnosed in 2015. The first people that came to his mind were his beloved children and wife, Rochelle. Specialists were not providing hopeful news, and the family braced themselves for new life. In 2018, Ross and Rochelle met Laura Karlin who introduced them to DTP. “Now, you have to understand my love-hate relationship with dancing: love to watch other people doing it – hate to do it myself,” he says. Ross had a history of dance instructors telling him he had two left feet and didn’t see dance as an avenue for him. However, at DTP our motto is There are no mistakes in dance, only solos! Soon Ross immersed himself in the dances, which provided assistance in balance, coordination, gait, and cognitive skills. He attends DTP with his wife Rochelle, who doesn’t have PD but thoroughly enjoys the classes. We love having you both in class!
“Without dance, I would have lost my mind by now! Rigid muscles would have taken over. I encourage everyone to put on some music they love and just move!”
– Jeanie McNamara
DTP Special Projects + Initiatives
BILINGUAL DTP
The newest wing of DTP is a bilingual class taught in Spanish: Baila Conmigo. Classes are designed for and with the Latinx/e community, in partnership with CASA 0101 in Boyle Heights.
ARTS & NEUROLOGY INFUSION
With support from the Parkinson’s Foundation, we welcomed guest artists and neurologists into our DTP community. From dialogues with our our participants and teaching artists to a multiple week tango class series (check out our blog post about our time with Joaquin Gamboa!), DTP Infusion expands our participants’ knowledge of movement forms and expression.
PERFORMANCES + FILMS
Every week in class, the DTP dancers dance. We also perform as a community, create and share dance films such as the Crane Dance film, which premiered at the 2019 World Parkinson Congress in Kyoto, Japan. In collaboration with the Pina Bausch Foundation, DTP artists danced the Nelken-Line at the Santa Monica beach!
We love collaborating with our participants to find interesting and creative ways to tell their stories. Interested in supporting these projects? You can donate specifically to DTP here!
DANCING THROUGH YOUR STORY
The Dancing Through Your Story (DTYS) initiative was a six-week special topic series launched at our Tarzana location. DTYS engaged participants in storytelling through movement fundamentals integrated with DTP dance curriculum to facilitate communal healing. The transformative process of exploring and translating stories into dance empowered participants to reconnect to their body and amplify their voice.
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Jeff Bronstein
Neurologist, PD and Movement Disorders, UCLA
Dr. Michele Tagliati
Neurologist, PD, and Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Jeffrey Grant
Internist, Cedars-Sinai
Carol Kaye
MFT, specializing in chronic illnesses
Ali Elder
PT DTP Movement Disorder Therapist, Reactive Physical Therapy
Jill Sonke
Director, University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine
Vickie Kropenske
UCLA Center for Healthier Children Families & Communities
Francziska Steafall
MS Head of Enrichment and Special Projects, Exceptional Children’s Foundation Kayne Eras Center School
CURRENT FUNDERS
Parkinson’s Foundation
Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Rotary Club Beverly Hills