PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DANCE TO THEIR OWN RHYTHM TO PROMOTE TOLERANCE
BIAL launches video for World Parkinson's Day
BIAL invited award-winning north-American Parkinson’s movement coach and choreographer Pamela Quinn to work with people with Parkinson Disease (PD) and create a video for World Parkinson’s Day, on April 11th, focused on mutual respect – and proving in the meantime that people with Parkinson’s can truly be inspiring.
People have different rhythms: some are faster, some are slower. But who’s to say which one is correct? In a perfect world, everyone respects each other. But in this fast-paced world we live in, that isn’t always the case for thousands of people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) all around the world, who sometimes just need an extra couple of minutes to perform daily tasks.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain. For those who suffer from it, the disease means much more than the physical symptoms; it’s about losing independence. Still, most patients are able to perform daily tasks like reaching for the wallet and pay for groceries, using an ATM, crossing the street or getting to their seat on a bus, but the social anxiety that derives from the fear of taking too long and the pressure of impatient queues can worsen the symptoms, making them a lot harder to accomplish – and resulting in a tendency for people with Parkinson’s to gradually give up their independence.
Knowing more about the disease and being more tolerant can effectively improve the lives of the 10 million people with Parkinson’s all around the world. BIAL’s mission is to empower them and to show that people with Parkinson’s can be inspiring.
In the video we see a choreographed performance that takes place in three different settings: in a market, on a bus and at a pedestrian crossing. Professional dancers and people with PD each dance to their own rhythm while metaphorically performing daily tasks associated with those environments, like shopping for groceries, getting to their seat on a moving bus or crossing the street in rush hour.
The video ends with a statement: “There’s no right rhythm for life”, prompting us to be more tolerant and to know more about the disease.
