Berkeley Ballet Theatre Inc

Programs: School: provided classical ballet classes to over 209 children and 800 adults, supplemented by modern dance classes to over 30 students and a summer intensive program in a variety of dance styles to over 100 students. Offered classes to all ages from 2 years and up. Provided opportunities to dance on stage to all students age 4 and up. Offered performance workshop to intermediate students. Maintained a youth company of more than 30 advanced students for pre-professional training. Offered private training to interested dancers, both children and adults. Gave lectures and demonstrations on functional anatomy, nutrition and injury prevention.

production: staged two major full-length performance runs 13 shows, including the nutcracker ballet in the winter and a mixed program in the spring to community audiences totaling over 5,040 persons. Presented a pre-ballet show ages 4 to 7 and an adult student show, both with original choreography, to audiences of over 320 and 200 people, respectively. Offered sugarplum fairy parties for young children to meet dancers onstage.

dance for pd originated as a collaboration between the mark morris dance group and the brooklyn parkinson group, a chapter of the national parkinson foundation. The dance for pd? Teaching method is built on one fundamental premise: professionally-trained dancers are movement experts whose knowledge is useful to persons with pd. Dancers know all about stretching and strengthening muscles, and about balance and rhythm. Most importantly, dancers know how to use their thoughts, imagination, eyes, ears and touch to control their movements. While dancing, whether in chairs, at a barre, or standing, everyone in the class explores comfortable dance movements in an enjoyable, non-pressured, social environment in which live music energizes, enriches and empowers. These classes are appropriate for anyone with parkinson? S disease, no matter how advanced. No dance experience is required. The classes combine elements of modern dance, ballet, tap, social dancing, mark morris? Choreography and other repertoire to create an enjoyable, stimulating, artistic experience for people with pd. The method has been presented at the international congress for parkinson? S? In berlin (2005) and the world parkinson congress in washington, d. C. (2006). Articles about the class have appeared in neurology now, among other publications. All classes include live musical accompaniment. In 2016-17 our dance forpd? Program continued to offer weekly classes in both berkeley and san francisco (in partnership with pdsf network). Berkeley average weekly attendance rose to over 20 people with parkinson's disease and 4-5 accompanying family members or caregivers.