"A choreographic offering" pairs community members and Dance students

a group of about 20 people pose for a photo

by College of Fine and Performing Arts Staff

Students from Pam Kuntz's "Dance for people with Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders" class at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center collaborated with Western students in "Choreography I" to create original movement. The project was supported by the NW Parkinson's Foundation.

Kuntz teaches the community dance class for people with neurological disorders at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center in Fairhaven, as well as the Choreography I class at Western.

This project reminded me that dance truly is for everyone, and we as dancers need to make it more accessible to those who have less experience or different abilities because this project proved that anyone can be a dancer. - Western Dance student

The Western dance students' assignment was to make a dance on and with the community member. The dance students used their community partners' stories, ideas and impulses to create original movement.

"A beautiful "Choreographic Offering" emerged from this process," says Kuntz of the project. "[The project] showed people from vastly different worlds coming together - in dance."

Music in the video was created by Charles Halka, Associate Professor of Music.

A HUGE thank you to NW Parkinson's Foundation for their support. They generously sponsored this opportunity by covering the cost of a space that all participants could access. We could not have done this project without their support.

Pam Kuntz

Director

"[The Western Dance student] would ask me questions, ask me to show my ideas with movement and then we put them together into a piece - it gave me a sense of personal power and confidence that I could do this because she supported my story and my journey. I can't say enough about the experience for me."

Community participant