It’s a mantra familiar to anyone with Parkinson’s, drilled into your head from the day you’re diagnosed: “Movement is medicine.” Neurologists, physical therapists, other people with Parkinson’s and their family members, even random strangers watching you struggle to climb out of a car – they all sing the praises of movement (and exercise in general) as one of the best ways to reduce PD symptoms.

This is the first in a series of posts about movement and exercise and their benefits for people with Parkinson’s. I’m going to start with a personal plug for a specific type of movement, one that I only semi-willingly took up and that I now can’t really imagine doing without: ballet. Specifically, San Francisco Ballet’s Dance Class for People with Parkinson’s.

In the spirit of “show, don’t tell,” here’s a brief video starring Keith and Dan, two veteran members of the class. (P.S.: My star turn, a total of 8 seconds or so, shows up around the 2:10 mark – I’m the tall galoot in the back row, slowly disappearing stage left.)

So, what is it about dance? Why did ballet leap from a “no-go” in my mind to an every Saturday “must-do”? I found a good explanation in a 2008 Scientific American article: “[S]ynchronizing music and movement—dance, essentially— constitutes a ‘pleasure double play.’ Music stimulates the brain’s reward centers, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits.” As we’ll see in my next post, dopamine – the neurotransmitter that plays a central role in PD – is a major player in why we dance.

But my now one-year-old love of ballet class is more than just circuits, reward centers, and neurotransmitters. It’s also about people, starting with our warm, funny, dedicated teacher, Cecelia Beam. From early-bird warmups to post-session cookie feasts (she hates to admit it, but she’s partial to Oreos), Cecelia, an accomplished ballerina in her own right, is chatting, joking, cajoling, encouraging everyone – a combination of gentle drill-sergeant and therapist.

Then there’s the camaraderie: the companionship of people – like Keith and Dan – who are dealing with the ups and downs of a shared disease. No one knows better what you’re going through than someone who’s battling the same thing. Surprisingly, very few of our conversations center on illness. It’s typical middle-aged-and-elderly-folk talk: kids, grandkids, retirement, travel, hobbies…regular stuff. No one has to explain why they’re moving so slowly, or why their hands shake. That’s all background noise.

Finally, there are the very things described in the Scientific American article: the joy I feel when the live pianist begins to play, the focus on technique that takes me away from my everyday, PD-afflicted world, and the physical relaxation that follows exertion. I feel spry-er, or at least less clunky, when I leave class than I did going in.

So, next up: Exercise and Parkinson’s. Why does exercise help? Is there something different about the effects of exercise on people with PD than those without? How much exercise is enough? And which types of exercise are best? Much to talk about…

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PS: I want to encourage anyone with PD who lives in the Bay Area (or who is just visiting) to stop by and check out a Saturday class. It’s free, and friends and family are welcome. The only catch, if you can call it that, is that if you show up, you’ve got to join in. There are no “looky-loos,” to borrow a Cecelia-ism; everybody dances. But hey, if I can come around to loving it, so can you!

Here’s more information about the class (from an email Cecelia sends out each week):

San Francisco Ballet School’s Dance Class for People with Parkinson’s

“Movement is the Medicine” for People with Parkinson’s

Classes are free of charge!

Saturdays, 1:30 – 2:45pm Studio Class

Stay after class to have a cookie, check in and chat!

New students and accompanying care partners/friends/family – must register here (once):   https://payit.nelnet.net/form/II96jTdm

New Dancers: remember don’t worry about doing everything perfectly! What’s important is that you enjoy yourself (because that’s how you will keep dancing/moving), listen to the music and move BIG. Over time you will become more familiar with the ballet vocabulary and dances.

Invite friends and family to join you – it may give you more of an incentive to regularly take class.

Directions to the studio: 455 Franklin Street, Civic Center, San Francisco

GETTING HERE – San Francisco Ballet (sfballet.org)

SF Ballet’s Dance Class for People with Parkinson’s is supported by a community grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation