On Tuesday, 21 November 2023, from 18.00 till 19.30, a webinar took place on the subject of movement-vocal improvisation for people with Parkinson's disease. The webinar presented the scientific view on the effects of music and movement in relieving symptoms of Parkinson's, the pilot workshop that was carried out in Maribor as part of the B-AIR project, and a discussion on the possibilities for the continuation of the project.
The moderator of the event was Jaka Škapin, artist, musician and vocal and musical improvisation mentor. Participants included Dr Dejan Georgiev, neurologist, Ana Kuder, psychologist, and Danielle Jones, artistic director of Luminelle, a Parkinson's dance programme in the UK. The webinar was held in English.
The presentation of the guidelines of the Dancing with Parkinson's programme, which combines movement on multiple anatomical levels with live music and is co-developed in the UK by Jaka Škapin and Danielle Jones, was followed by a look at the conducted workshop, the results of the questionnaire, and the findings of the focus group held in collaboration with the Trepetlika Association, through video and audio excerpts interwoven with psychological and neurological scientific insights. The webinar concluded with a discussion on the possible next steps for the project and questions from the participants.
The event was aimed primarily at expert publics involved or interested in the implementation of additional non-pharmacological activities in the healthcare system, researchers at the intersection of science and arts, providers of dance and music workshops for vulnerable groups, and the wider community of people living with Parkinson's disease and their families.
