Parkinson’s Awareness Day 2023

This event was such a joyful and uplifting day and an excellent example of how participatory arts can enhance the lives of individuals living with Parkinson's and their carers. It was a day filled with dance, song and drumming – and we even wrote a song together!

Djembe drum teacher Richard Parker set the rhythm for the day with a brilliantly, bonding drumming session. The room was soon filled with the sound of fabulous drum beats as Richard ensured everyone felt included and part of the group.

The drumming was followed by a songwriting session guided by Louise Jordan working with the theme of ‘joy’. Everyone found the process to be therapeutic as well as creative and fun. It was so special to be able to express our collective feelings and stories in words.

I continued to build on the theme of joy with a dance session inspired by the song we’d just written together accompanied by Louise on the piano. We had a lovely time exploring how to express emotion through movement, with the help of a piece of blue, flowing fabric. As we wove our stories of joy, freedom, and self-expression together through our dance it really did feel as if we were all connected by an invisible thread. I love that dance can promote feelings of freedom from the physical and social constraints of living with Parkinson’s.

We finished the day with a good old sing song led by Pauline McWilliams. The perfect end to a perfect day. As our voices joined in harmony, we celebrated the strength and resilience within the Parkinson's community.

The Awareness Day was a powerful reminder that, through the transformative power of arts, individuals with Parkinson's can continue to lead rich, fulfilling lives, supported by a community that values and celebrates their unique contributions.

I’m grateful to The Point for their tremendous support in enabling this Parkinson's Awareness Day to happen. I’m also grateful for the support of my colleague, Tory Caine, who has been instrumental in ensuring the continued success and vitality of our Dance for Parkinson's classes.

“I've been in a few drumming workshops and always love them but this was the first with a large proportion of people with Parkinson's. I thought we did really well. Louise's songwriting seemed to involve people in a different way, with the goal of achieving something by the end, which we did. Personally, I benefited from the dance being less energetic than usual and I like the way you didn't say much and let it evolve with humour. I enjoyed the singing – a lot happened in a short time without feeling rushed.

There was something about three of you being there for the whole event which made us more like a community for the day. Less separation between us and you. I enjoyed Louise playing the piano in the dance segment.

I should also say I was wiped out afterwards. We Parkies seem to have different challenges which come up in the classes, and energy is mine.”

JIM

In July 2022 London-based sound artist Hannah Kemp-Welch joined me for a week in Southampton and together we led a series of workshops called Listening Memories. We invited some of the elders who regularly attend my 'Dance for Parkinson’s' and movement classes.

Our sessions explored the relationship between sound, memory and gesture. We invited the participants into the gardens outside community centres to practice listening techniques. We listened to birds, traffic and wind rustling leaves. We listened again via headphones, noticing the change in amplitude and detail, and the filtering and selecting of sounds our ears naturally do for us. These experiences with listening triggered memories of sounds for some - and as we unpacked these stories, we began to explore gestures and movement in response. Recordings of these stories triggered by sound were edited into an audio collage, which premiered at a 'listening cinema' at the John Hansard Gallery. 

This project was part of Voices in the Gallery, with support from John Hansard Gallery.