Prague dance project brings movement to those with mobility issues

A new dance project in Prague aims to assist those with Parkinson's disease and other mobility issues in the Czech capital. Dance Well will focus on bringing the healing powers of dance to those who would normally be unable to participate due to movement limitations.

The Dance Well project will kick off from March 14, with guided lessons from a professional team of artists organized by Tanec Praha at Prague 3's Vozovna cultural center and other venues in the Czech capital.

Prague's Dance Well project is part of an initiative that was started a decade ago in Italy. Since then, it has spread to a number of other countries throughout Europe, and is supported by the EU's Creative Europe program.

The project aims to connect local dance studios with people living with Parkinson's and other mobility issues to the benefit of both communities. In addition to providing an innovative form of wellness and social interaction, instructors are also able to expand their skills and development.

In Prague, Dance Well's instructors include Cécile Da Costa, Barbora Látalová, Hana Polanská, Markéta Vacovská and Roman Zotov Mikshin. Their dance classes have been specifically designed to assist those with mobility issues in collaboration with Prague dance company Tanec Praha.

"Drawing on the experience of Italian and other foreign experts is very valuable for our artists," Tanec Praha director Yvona Kreuzmannová states in a press release. "Ponec Theater artistic director Markéta Perroud, a member of the Tanec Praha team, also participated in the training."

"For the Dance Well project, the pillars are relationships, interactivity, and discovering the unknown," says instructor Perroud.

"We have been following Dance Well since its beginnings in 2013 and we are glad that we can now develop it here as well. The lessons are one of its main components and are open to anyone interested in building a dance-centered community for people with Parkinson's disease."

In Prague, Dance Well lessons will take place regularly at the Vozovna cultural center in Žižkov on Tuesdays from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. starting March 14. Reservations can be made at the website of Ponec Theater or in person at Vozovna.

While the initial lessons will take place at the Vozovna cultural center in Žižkov, two special lessons will take place on April 18 and May 16 at Prague's Municipal Library in the city center's Old Town neighborhood.

The Dance Well team also hopes to bring their lessons to other cultural spaces throughout the city, in order to open up the experience to those across the Czech capital.