On Tuesday 27 October 2015, English National Ballet and research partner University of Roehampton will hold a symposium, Dance for Parkinson’s Evidence of Impact – Moving Forward, exploring the case for dance in health programming with presentation of new research arising from ENB’s Dance for Parkinson’s national programme and opportunities for creative dialogue through a moderated discussion with partners involved in ENB’s programme, and representatives from the health and cultural sectors. The afternoon will be live-streamed and can be accessed by going to the ENB website .

Dance for Parkinson’s Evidence of Impact – Moving Forward

English National Ballet’s (ENB) Dance for Parkinson’s programme was inspired by the work of Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD® in Brooklyn, New York. Since initiating the programme in 2010, ENB’s model and approach has been artistically driven, encompassing the practice and repertory of ENB. The programme has also included a structured training programme for practitioners wishing to engage in developing Dance for Parkinson’s classes, providing a model for practice, professional development and cultural engagement across the country. Since 2012, and with the support of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the model has been rolled out nationally through four strategic hub partnerships: Oxford City Council, MDI, DanceEast and National Dance Company Wales.

In 2011, ENB commissioned a ground breaking piece of research to provide evidence of impact on the benefits of dance for people living with Parkinson’s led by Dr. Sara Houston and Ashley McGill (MSc), from the University of Roehampton. Their initial findings have resulted in a new piece of research English National Ballet, Dance for Parkinson’s An Investigative Study Part 2, and provides the first longitudinal piece of evidence on the impact of the programme over the past three years, examining the long term benefits of dance, physically, socially and as a contributor to quality of life and well-being.