Keep Us Moving: 

Your Support Transforms Lives

Dear Friend,

More people living with Parkinson’s than ever before are turning to dance—not just for exercise, but for joy, connection, and a renewed sense of possibility. Today, the Dance for PD community spans more than 32 countries. Our partnerships continue to grow. The research validating our work continues to deepen. But what matters most still happens in the simplest, most human way: when the music starts, and someone finds their place in the circle.

That moment—of connection, creativity, and shared humanity—is what your gift to Dance for PD helps make possible.

This past year, we witnessed those moments across the globe: in our first-ever in-person Mandarin-speaking class in Queens; in Spanish-speaking sessions in East Harlem and Brooklyn; in Chicago and Hong Kong, where new cohorts of teaching artists trained side by side for the first time; and in emerging programs serving Parkinson’s communities from Nebraska to Norway, Perth to Pune, Kathmandu to Lima. Different languages, cultures, and movement styles—one shared belief that dance belongs to everyone, and that dance can play a significant role in helping people with Parkinson's thrive with dignity, creativity, and community. Learn more about what we've been up to in our most recent newsletter.

All of this—every class, every training, every research initiative, every new community launched—traces back to supporters like you.

​As I reflect on the year, I return to a moment captured by journalist and Parkinson's community advocate Dave Iverson on the PBS Newshour:

“Joy—it's not a quality you associate often with Parkinson's. And yet, it is what you see here.”

Dave's comment continues to resonate with me because it so simply names what you make possible—not only improved balance or gait or cognition, but a life animated by creativity, connection, dignity, and joy.

Today, I’m asking you to renew your support for Dance for PD with a gift of $60, $120 or $300 and stand with us as we continue to create spaces where people living with Parkinson’s can move, connect, and thrive. Your gift directly supports classes, teacher training, research, and the steady expansion of access around the world. Your renewed investment will help us:

• Offer more than 480 free in-person and online classes in English, Mandarin, and Spanish—and continue Dance by Phone for those without internet access.
• Maintain and grow our digital library of 400+ on-demand classes and exercises, supporting people wherever they live.
• Deliver international teacher training and professional development in six countries, equipping dance artists, therapists, and medical professionals to bring this work home to their communities.
• Expand the Launch Grant Program, jumpstarting at least 10 new local programs worldwide.
• Create more performance opportunities for people living with Parkinson's through the Bowen Award for Inclusive Choreography.
• Distribute five new At Home instructional videos, free of charge, with Spanish and Mandarin voiceovers.
• Advance cutting-edge research with Columbia, NYU, Northeastern, Tufts, and Rockefeller University—strengthening the evidence base that guides clinical and community practice.

As we approach this milestone anniversary, I feel more certain than ever that Dance for PD is not just a program—it is an ecosystem shaped by artists, scientists, teachers, participants, caregivers, and extraordinarily generous partners like you.

Together, we can keep building the kind of experiences that change lives—one dance, one community, one moment at a time.

Thank you for being an integral part of our Dance for PD family. 

With deep gratitude and best wishes for the new year,
David Leventhal
Program Director, Dance for PD