About our introductory workshops

Our introductory workshops are specially designed to help trained dancers and dance instructors adapt their expertise to work effectively and comfortably with the Parkinson’s population under the guidelines and methodology of the Dance for PD® program. You'll cover special modules that focus on class structure, pedagogy and exercise design, and participate in a practicum class to develop class content and teaching techniques with founding teachers and other trainees, in addition to covering general modules about safety and working with Parkinson’s participants. The Dance for PD is accredited as a Parkinson's Foundation Movement Education Program, the only dance-based training program to receive this recognition. Download our complete training guide here for more information.

Although these workshops are specifically geared toward dance teachers, we welcome a diverse group of individuals who may be interested in the workshop for Educational & Professional Enrichment (EPE). The EPE program is designed to provide a comprehensive and intimate look at core components of the Dance for PD® program so that a wide variety of individuals without dance training or dance teaching experience can learn about our methods and benefit from our resources.

Prerequisite course

All trainees must satisfactorily complete an asynchronous 8-module prerequisite online training program before enrolling in our On Demand training. 

The cost of this 8-module course is included in your registration fee. It is expected that the self-directed course will take 8-10 hours to complete. You'll receive instructions for accessing this course once you complete your training registration.

Introductory Workshop details

Location

National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA),

UNSW Sydney, 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington NSW 2033, Australia

Schedule

19 and 20 September, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

Workshop facilitators and trainers

David Leventhal, Dance for PD Program Director and founding teacher and Dr. Erica Rose Jeffrey, Dance for Parkinson's Australia Founder and Director. This  marks David's first visit to Australia since 2013.

How to apply

To maintain the quality of our training experience, enrollment is limited, and an application is required.

Please click below to complete our application. We will notify you upon acceptance into the workshop, at which point you will be asked to complete your registration and payment.

Tuition

Tuition covers all the globally recognized prerequisite course and Ofqual Level 4 assessment (AUD $240), digital materials and in-person training sessions, free lifetime On Demand access to five Dance for PD At Home instructional videos and five music albums (a complete package valued at AUD $250), and a one-year membership to Dance for PD (valued at AUD $90). Please note that tuition payments are accepted in US dollars, with appropriate currency conversations built into the listed rates.

Standard rate: AUD $495

Ausdance, DTAA, RAD or Dance for PD Member rate: AUD $450

Returning trainee (refresher course): AUD $195

Payment deadlines

Payment for the prerequisite course and the workshop will be requested once you have been approved to join our training program. You must register for no later than 30 August to allow ample time to complete your prequisite course.

Fellowships

Fellowships and scholarships may be available on a case-by-case basis. For information on Fellowships, please click here. We prioritize partial scholarships for teaching artists from under-represented communities. Please indicate your interest in a partial scholarship or fellowship on your application form.

Post-workshop assessment

After the workshop, complete your online assessment and earn an Ofqual-accredited Level 4 qualification to wrap up your introductory training process.

Important note: If you have already completed our training application process and would like to participate in this workshop, please write to us at [email protected] to pre-register for this workshop. You do not need to click through to complete a second application.

Feedback from our workshops

I am amazed and appreciative of the wealth of resources you provide.
Introductory workshop participant

This has been a tremendous weekend. Thank you is not enough to express my feelings.
Introductory workshop participant

The workshop was such an amazing experience, and I was thoroughly impressed by how collaborative and interactive it was!
Introductory workshop participant

About Dance for PD®

The Mark Morris Dance Group's Dance for PD® program invites people with Parkinson's and their families in more than 500 communities and 31 countries around the globe to experience the joys and benefits of dance while creatively addressing symptom-specific concerns related to balance, cognition, motor skill, depression and physical confidence.

Through its innovative, internationally-replicated in-person and online classes, acclaimed teacher training program, and high quality media resources, Dance for PD​'s fundamental working principle is that professionally-trained dancers are movement experts whose knowledge about balance, sequencing, rhythm and aesthetic awareness is useful to persons with PD. In class, teaching artists integrate movement from modern, ballet, tap, folkloric, traditional, improvisation, and social dancing, along with choreographic and cultural repertory to engage participants' minds and bodies and create an enjoyable, social environment for artistic exploration.​​

Dance for PD has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Dance Magazine, The Guardian and hundreds of other publications,​and has been honored by several local, national and international awards, including the Parkinson Awareness Award, Alan Bonander Humanitarian Award, and the Sapolin Public Service Award from the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities.

Evidence from more than 55 peer-reviewed scientific studies from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Italy and Germany serves to underpin the effectiveness and benefits of the Dance for PD teaching practice and suggests that dance provides a range of benefits, including improved walking and short-term mobility, enhanced quality of life and self-efficacy, and improvements in mood and social inclusion among people with Parkinson's.

Dance for PD, which began in 2001 as a collaboration between MMDG and Brooklyn Parkinson Group, leverages technology—online classes, on demand resources, and training and a popular instructional At Home video series—to make the program more available to its diverse and expanding network of constituents around the globe.

About Dance for Parkinson's Australia

The Dance for Parkinson’s Australia (DPA) program started through an initial Dance for PD® presentation at the National Parkinson’s Conference in Brisbane in 2012. Since then, DPA Director Erica Rose Jeffrey, PhD, has worked with the dance and Parkinson’s communities to share the joys of dance classes for people with Parkinson’s. Working with Dance for PD® founding teacher and Program Director David Leventhal, the first Australian teacher training workshops were offered in May of 2013 in Sydney and Brisbane at Queensland Ballet. Dance for Parkinson’s Australia offers dance classes for people with Parkinson’s disease in ACT, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and Victoria. 

DPA provides high quality services to people living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), partners, carers, friends, and the broader community of seniors. 2023 celebrated ten years of delivering the program, classes and workshops in Australia. 

Partnerships and connections have been developed across the arts and health sectors and include the Opera Australia, Queensland Ballet, DanceNorth, the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Dance Company, Belconnen Arts Centre, Arts Health Network Queensland, Arts Health Network NSW/ACT, Ausdance, MADE Tasmania, the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, state Parkinson’s organisations, and leading neurologists and researchers.

Dance for Parkinson’s Australia (DPA)  is a public benevolent institution and charity with DGR status.