Alonzo King's LINES Ballet Brings Dance for Parkinson's Disease to Grace Cathedral

Alonzo King LINES Ballet has invited the Parkinson's Disease community to free dance classes at Grace Cathedral this August. The Dance for PD® classes, specifically designed for individuals with Parkinson's Disease and their loved ones, will be led by experienced teaching artists. Tailored for varying abilities, the classes begin with students seated in chairs and feature live accompaniment.

"Dance and movement can transcend varying physical challenges, body type, ailments and abilities or disabilities,"said Kristen Gurbach Jacobson, Managing Director of Education at LINES Ballet. "It invigorates, encourages and strengthens. Dance for PD combines the movement of the body with mind and spirit to reach individuals and their loved ones. Holding it at Grace Cathedral highlights this synergy and taps into our spiritual need for movement and creativity. It's a very special experience."

LINES Ballet Artistic Director Alonzo King is Grace Cathedral's Artist in Residence for 2019. He will create a new work in keeping with the Cathedral's annual theme, "The Year of the Body", that will be performed at Grace in February 2020. He will also speak at the Cathedral's conversation series, The Forum, and will hold workshops to engage the cathedral's diverse community of congregants, yoga practitioners, the Cathedral School for Boys, and The Community Preschool.

Launched as a non-profit collaboration between the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group, Dance for PD® offers internationally-acclaimed dance classes for people with Parkinson's disease in more than 250 other communities and in 25 countries. Dance for PD® is offered in partnership with PDSF Network and as a licensed program of Mark Morris Dance Group.

Free classes will be held on August 8 and 22 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. For more information, see www.gracecathedral.org.