Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program highlighted at Ballet Arizona

2 days ago

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PHOENIX – Those who join Ballet Arizona’s Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program may be drawn in by the music and the physical benefits, but all leave with something beyond new moves: a community.

For over two months, Debbie Braganza and her dancers rehearsed for the Community Engagement Showcase on April 12. The performance highlighted multiple Ballet Arizona programs such as The Adaptive Dance Program and Native American Hoop Dance.

The Dance for Parkinson’s class is offered three days a week, twice at the Ballet Arizona studio in downtown Phoenix and once at the Center for Child and Family Wellness in Mesa. All are welcome to join the class and current participants range from those with Parkinson’s Disease to family and friends interested in just getting involved.

Debbie Braganza directs dancers during the dress rehearsal of the Community Engagement Showcase at Ballet Arizona in downtown Phoenix on April 8, 2026. Chairs and surrounding bars are used for extra stability. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

Braganza leads the class with decades of experience and training through the Mark Morris Dance Group Dance for PD program in New York. She ensures the class is safe and accessible for all, typically beginning with seated choreography, barre work and eventually working up to dancing in the open floor. Braganza emphasizes that each who takes her class are not defined by their disease or disability and are recognized for the dancers they are.

“They are not thinking about the Parkinson’s,” Braganza said. “They are more into learning steps, learning about music, learning about different styles of dance, and I think that kind of helps with not being so dialed into the Parkinson’s all the time. I think they need a break from it.”

Debbie Braganza guides dancers through a seated warm-up at the beginning of the Dance for Parkinson’s Disease class at Ballet Arizona in downtown Phoenix on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

In the weeks leading up to the showcase, Braganza trained the group as she would any other performance, rehearsing the choreography with rapt attention to detail and pushing the dancers to perform independently.

“I think Debbie does treat us as dancers in what she expects us to accomplish. She doesn’t cut corners or give us time to feel sorry for ourselves,” said Lynn McRainey, a participant in the class. “She is a positive energy, and I have great respect for what she’s done.”

From left, David Akers, Keiko, Fred Yu and Terri Yu dance at the barre during the Dance for Parkinson’s Disease class in Mesa, Ariz., on March 24, 2026. Keiko does not have Parkinson’s Disease but joined as a guest of Akers highlighting the welcoming spirit of the class. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

Parkinson’s affects more than 10 million people worldwide and impacts physical and cognitive functions. Dance and music can help improve motor control such as balance and help challenge memory skills, according to a study by researchers at Scotland’s Abertay University.

For many of the participants at Ballet Arizona, the emotional benefits far outweigh the physical as the class offers an opportunity for community and deep friendships.

Kathleen Coyoli, left, and Pauline Ubrano Hechler laugh as they dance together during a rehearsal at Ballet Arizona in downtown Phoenix on March 27, 2026. Coyoli does not have Parkinson’s Disease, but she brings her dance experience to support those around her. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

Fred and Terri Yu perform the partner choreography during a rehearsal of the Community Engagement Showcase in Mesa on March 24, 2026. “You got enough drama and other things going on outside of here but, in here, it’s just like that’s all gone, all the cares go away,” Fred said about the class and dancing with his wife. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

Debbie Braganza leads her dancers through exercises at the barre during he Dance for Parkinson’s Disease class at Ballet Arizona in downtown Phoenix on March 25, 2026. “I’m 59 years old and I still dance everyday,” said Braganza. “I wouldn’t call it an escape, but it is a place that I can go where I can be myself and feel joy and just move and, it’s everything.” (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

This is the case for Terri Yu, who participates at the Mesa location. Yu struggled to find connection with others and accessible programs she could participate in, often leaving her to turn to virtual options and feeling isolated.

To Yu, the class and dance as a whole represents “confidence building, friendships, strength and realizing I have a lot more potential than I realized.”

Dancers perform during the Community Engagement Showcase as a part of the Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program at Ballet Arizona in downtown Phoenix on April 12, 2026. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Cronkite News)

As the music faded out and the dancers took their bow concluding the performance, each could walk away being proud of putting their all on the stage surrounded by people who care. It did not just symbolize the end of their hard work for the showcase, but the beginning of the work they will put in for the next.

“It’s not about how many people are in the class,” Braganza said. “It’s about the people that keep coming back, and they are coming back for a reason, and it’s helping them.”