Parkinson’s patients find stability in a Brooklyn dance studio

Fourteen years after her own diagnosis, Pamela Quinn is leading a group of dancers with Parkinson’s disease across a floor in Downtown Brooklyn. The room fills with classical music as participants execute chassés. Some steps appear stiff. Others are unsteady. Each movement is designed to preserve function.

Quinn was a professional dancer before doctors told her she had Parkinson’s in 1996. The diagnosis ended her career but changed her focus. She described the experience as a real identity crisis because movement defines a dancer’s life. By 2006, she had founded PD Movement Lab at the Mark Morris Dance Center.

The weekly classes follow a specific structure. They start with gentle warm-ups. The routine then moves to challenging movements, voice exercises, and walking drills. These drills emphasize rhythm, longer strides, and stability. Quinn uses her decades of training to help participants manage the disease in their daily lives.

Judy Dean has volunteered with the program for nearly 17 years. She noted that people often isolate themselves after a diagnosis. They stay home and hide their condition. The lab provides a space to be with others facing the same challenge. Dean’s own family has been affected. Both her mother and her son, Tom Dean, have the disease. Tom now attends the classes.

Tom Dean said Quinn teaches coping methods to keep participants moving, balanced, and strong. Carol Enseki, a longtime participant, said the exercises help deal with actual symptoms. She noted that everyone’s experience is different. Parkinson’s disease affects movement, balance, coordination, and speech. Research shows exercise can help manage symptoms and maintain physical function, even though there is no cure.

Quinn said maintaining mobility is essential to keeping independence. Some of her dancers also perform choreographed pieces to raise awareness about the condition. Quinn described this as facilitating an experience for others rather than focusing on herself. She called this a more rewarding experience than her previous solo career.

PD Movement Lab is currently working on its second study. The research examines the long-term effects of movement on slowing disease progression.