Tag Archives: Dance

Dance’s Healing Power: A Seed is Planted in Brooklyn; A Flower Grows in Pune

Text by Richard Bennett

At first glance, a dance class for people with Parkinson’s disease seems like a contradiction in terms. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system whose most obvious symptoms are movement related. Yet Olie Westheimer, who was facilitating a Parkinson’s support group in Brooklyn, had a hunch that rigorous dance training with world-class dancers and live music was exactly what her members needed.

Olie Westheimer at Gel Health 2009 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

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Melvin Van Peebles’s classic movie “Sweet Sweetback” soon on stage!

In 1971, Melvin Van Peebles directed and starred in one of the classics of African-American film. Now, with the group Burnt Sugar and a cast of more than a dozen, he workshops a new stage version, filled with Baadasssss songs. From Brooklyn Independent Television’s Caught in the Act, episode 22. Original airdate: 1/27/2010.

Burnt Sugar upcoming shows

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