Dancing with Parkinson's
- joannamestre
- Nov 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 20
Hello POPLAR Community!
My name is Claire Wootten, and I have been a POPLAR patient partner since 2023. I also recently joined the Community Council for UPLEARN––the University of Toronto’s Practice and Community-Based Learning And Research Network. As a life-long user of Canada’s
healthcare system, I wanted to put my personal experience to effective use and have happily found that avenue through POPLAR and UPLEARN.
I come to this work through a background in the arts––specifically as a dance educator. I trained as a classical ballet dancer from a young age and began teaching dance in my teens. One teaching gig led to another and, eventually, I found myself on full-time faculty at York University’s Department of Dance where I enjoyed a three-decade long academic career of teaching/learning, research, and administration.
As I was transitioning into retirement from York, I reconnected with former colleague, Sarah Robichaud, who had founded Dancing With Parkinson’s (DWP) Canada. DWP offers free, accessible dance classes and artistic opportunities to people living with Parkinson’s. Classes are offered online daily and in-person. Research-backed programs deliver physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits for all participants––be they folks living with a neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s, their care partners, their family members, or seniors seeking accessible movement, expression, and connection. For me, leading DWP classes offered an irresistible opportunity to continue fostering my love of music and movement, as well as teaching and learning. I joined the DWP teaching roster in 2015 and, ultimately, went on to certify as a Dance for PD® Instructor through the original training program at the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, New York.
Now, as a “card-carrying senior”, I find myself very invested in arts and health, particularly with respect to older adults. Throughout my life, I have benefitted richly from the arts and, as I find myself firmly in my “ACT III”, I am inspired to promote the gifts of connection, artistic expression, and joy that the arts can provide. As a longtime educator, I know there is no bigger thrill than the “aha” moment shared when a student grasps a concept and reflects it back, fully embodied in their own language. And, as a longtime dancer, I know there is no bigger thrill than that moment of artistic communication. It is the very definition of empowerment!
For more about Dancing With Parkinson’s Canada, please visit the website at
More information about existing research of dance for Parkinson’s can be
found via the Dance for Parkinson’s Network Canada website at
And I warmly welcome new connections through LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/clairefwootten
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