“People always say, ‘Well, if I could only do one art form, what would it be?’ And I always say dance.” —Susan Magsamen 

In our podcast miniseries Music and Health, we’re exploring how music impacts our minds, bodies, and communities. In this installment, we’re learning about the power of dance. Host J. D. Talasek is joined by David Leventhal and ConstantinaTheofanopoulou. Both began their careers as dancers and use dance to inform their current work. Leventhal is a program director and one of the founding teachers of Dance for PD, a program that offers people with Parkinson’s disease research-backed dance classes. Theofanopoulou is a research assistant professor at Rockefeller University. Her research focuses on understanding the neuroscience of complex sensory motor behaviors. They discuss how dance is helping patients regain movement abilities, and what neuroscience research says about dance as a form of healing. 

This series is produced in collaboration with Susan Magsamen and Leonardo journal.

Resources: 

• Listen to the first episode of the mini-series, Music and Health: The Creative Arts and Healing, featuring Renée Fleming and Susan Magsamen. 

• Visit the Dance for PD website to learn more about the program, and find classes in your area or virtually. 

• Learn more about Constantina Theofanopoulou’s research by visiting her website.