Understanding quality of life through the experiences of dancers with Parkinson's
pp. 281-291
in: Karen Bond (ed), Dance and the quality of life, Berlin, Springer, 2019Abstract
Parkinson's is a common neurodegenerative, chronic disease, typically striking after 50. It is a condition that affects body functioning, as well as emotional and social aspects of life. Many people living with Parkinson's struggle to maintain or develop their quality of life. As a means to improve quality of life and health, there is much interest in dancing. Enjoyment and help with some symptoms of Parkinson's are two primary reasons for dancing, and some participants also feel that it gives them a sense of control over their life. The chapter discusses two questions: (1) Can we talk about quality of life as something influenced by dance in a context where there are multiple variables? (2) What does it mean to have quality of life through dance when one has a chronic degenerative disease? The chapter examines the methods used to claim quality of life or the lack of it in the context of researching a dance project and uses our own research project with English National Ballet Dance for Parkinson's programme as an example to tease out the issues.