peace about life: Dancing with Parkinson’s
Performed in development at CounterPULSE, San Francisco, 2009
World premiere at Laney College Theater, Oakland, 2010
Photo by Giacobazzi Yañez
The PEACE Project beautifully portrays an exploration of finding personal peace through the lens of those living with Parkinson’s. Members of PEACE have created a poignant, insightful, richly moving work, integrating a multi-generational cast into an artistically compelling performance. This unique company offers a powerful experience that will nourish and stimulate your heart and mind.
peace about life: Dancing with Parkinson’s premiered in 2010. It was the first of many performances to come which would examine ways to manage, fight with, and make peace with Parkinson’s disease. It also launched a performance project that would run in tandem with dNaga’s weekly Dance for Parkinson’s classes over the next decade. Interviews with dNaga dancers with Parkinson’s explored how their diagnosis changed their lives, relationships, and perspectives. The artistic process began in 2009, taking this deeply thoughtful collection of interviews into the dance studio to develop an intergenerational work about what it is like to live with Parkinson’s disease.
Below are dancer biographies from our original program. Several of these dancers went on to create the non-profit PD Active, whose mission is to keep those with Parkinson’s disease active.
Telemechus Clay was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1993. In 2005 he underwent a rather successful DBS operation. Telemechus was introduced to the work of Claudine Naganuma through his association with PD Active, a local advocacy group which provides for the needs of Parkinson patients. While he has had no formal training as a dancer, Telemechus is very proud to be part of this seminal work in the world of dance.
Tim Gordon was a naturalist with the East Bay Regional Park District for 33 years. He loved leading hikes and programs, and as an environmentalist and a leader in his union (AFSCME Local 2428) he was able to bring about changes in the way the Park District managed land, in its use of pesticides, and in the exposure of citizens and park workers to toxic chemicals. Since his retirement in 2000 he has served as a board member of the Regional Parks Association, monitoring the resource management and practices of the Park District. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2004.
Herb Heinz enjoys performing in a wide variety of musical and theatrical situations. He is a founding member of PD Active, an east bay Parkinson's disease community-building and advocacy group. He also produces a monthly improvised show called This Here Show.
Scott Holloway wandered up the California coast to Mendocino in 1972, carrying with him his parents’ infusions of Art, Music, & Literature. There he developed his critical faculty as a potter and a painter, while soaking in the wild nature of the north coast. Following a weaver friend back down to the Bay Area, he overlapped Art & Gardening to become a designer of gardens. His work has appeared on HGTV, and on many garden tours. His Buddhist practice has deepend in recent years leading him into interior design as well. He continues to paint & practice in Oakland, joined by his partner Larry and his dog Teddy. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's around six years ago.
Patricia Needle worked as an RN for 33 years, both in the Boston area and San Francisco. She enjoyed working in medicine, but her primary area of interest was mental illness. Here, in San Francisco, she worked in inpatient psychiatry at SFGH. For the last 8 years of her RN career she worked in community programs providing direct care to Tenderloin residents. In the course of many travels she has sailed on a dhow in Lamu, and taught English in Japan. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's in September, 2008.
Jenifer Peale has worked as a teacher and counselor in the fields of Nutrition, Gerontology, Fitness, and Health. For the past two years, she has been active in the Parkinson's community, helping to found PD Active and, most recently, creating the "Keep Moving" project. She also co-teaches the "Living Well with Parkinson's Disease" class.
Larry Sirott is a retired Family Medicine physician. He was officially diagnosed with PD in April of ’06. His main symptoms are slowness, weak voice, poor memory, and poor coordination. His first mentor was John Argue. Through contact with many other Parkies attending John’s groups, he became part of a community. That community became an important part of his well being. Larry’s first contact with dance was through the Dance for PD classes so expertly taught by David and John of the Mark Morris Dance Group. Although he has no aptitude for dance he loves doing it. “I carry my body differently when I am in the same room with a dancer,” as one of my colleagues stated, “it is transformative.”
Paula Spurlock worked for 30 years as a librarian, the first 4 as a college reference librarian and the last 26 as technical librarian for an environmental engineering company, helping the engineers and project managers find the information they needed for their work. These days, since her Parkinson's diagnosis and retirement a couple of years ago, she researches information for her own role as project manager for her big Neuron Regeneration Project (NuRP), which involves lots of fun activities such as yoga, biking, walking, singing, reading, gardening, learning new things, connecting with other Parkinson's people, and, of course dancing. She also continues her great run as wife and mother, with one teenager still at home.
CounterPULSE, San Francisco, 2009 (in development)
dNaga dancers
Carly Boland, Lihong Chan, Frances Cuevas, Andrew Hansen, Mana Hayakawa, Chaityn Isaacson-Brewster, Catalina Jackson Uruena, Lucie Jerome, Livvy Keller, Erin Landers, Julia Milani, and Allison Naganuma
Dancers with Parkinson’s
Telemachus Clay, Tim Gordon, Herb Heinz, Scott Holloway and Jenifer Peale
Interviews
Telemachus Clay, Tim Gordon, Kali Grosberg, Herb Heinz, Scott Holloway and Jenifer Peale
Christopher Tignor: Composer of Slow Six Nor’easter and Private Times in Public Spaces
Dale MacDonald: Lighting
Claudine Naganuma: Costumes
Laney College Theater, Oakland, 2010 (world premiere)
dNaga dancers
Carly Boland, Lihong Chan, Frances Cuevas, Andrew Hansen, Mana Hayakawa, Chaityn Isaacson-Brewster, Catalina Jackson Uruena, Lucie Jerome, Livvy, Keller, Erin Landers, Julia Milani and Allison Naganuma
Dancers with Parkinson’s
Telemachus Clay, Tim Gordon, Herb Heinz, Scott Holloway, Patricia Needle, Jenifer Peale, Larry Sirott and Paula Spurlock
Interviews
Telemachus Clay, Tim Gordon, Kali Grosberg, Herb Heinz, Scott Holloway and Jenifer Peale
Christopher Tignor: Composer of Slow Six Nor’easter and Private Times in Public Spaces
Dale MacDonald: Lighting
Claudine Naganuma: Costumes
Laney College Theater, Oakland, 2011
dNaga dancers
Carly Boland, Lihong Chan, Elias Coerver, Andrew Hansen, Chaityn Isaacson-Brewster, Catalina Jackson Uruena, Lucie Jerome, Livvy Keller, Erin Landers, Julia Milani and Allison Naganuma
Dancers with Parkinson’s
Dancers with Parkinson’s: Warren Brunetti, Ann Chandler, Tim Gordon, Herb Heinz, Scott Holloway, Patricia Needle and Paula Spurlock
Interviews
Herb Heinz, Kali Grosberg, Larry Sirott, Jenifer Peale, Scott Holloway, Patricia Needle and Tim Gordon
Christopher Tignor: Composer of Slow Six Nor’easter and Private Times in Public Spaces
Dale MacDonald: Lighting
Claudine Naganuma: Costumes
