Kunsthaus Zürich Joins 'Connect' Dance Program for Parkinson's and MS Patients
The Kunsthaus Zürich has joined the 'Connect' program, an innovative dance training initiative for people with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, expanding the collaboration beyond its original partners. The pilot phase launched in February 2024 by Ballett Zürich, the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich, the free performance group The Field, and the Dance & Creative Wellness Foundation. Two groups met weekly on Friday afternoons at the Tonhalle Zürich for dance training, with selected sessions accompanied live by musicians from the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich. Due to high demand and positive feedback, the program is now being expanded for the current season: three groups will meet instead of two, led by Clare Guss-West, and some sessions will take place in the exhibition spaces of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
The Signal
The inclusion of the Kunsthaus Zürich adds an encounter with art to the program, which already included trial visits to the Opernhaus Zürich and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Kunsthaus director Ann Demeester stated that the museum believes art can promote physical and mental well-being, a fact supported by scientific reports. The expansion represents a significant step for the founding institutions, with Cathy Marston, ballet director at the Opernhaus Zürich, and Ilona Schmiel, director of the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich, expressing enthusiasm for the growth and the new perspectives offered by the museum spaces. This initiative underscores a broader trend of cultural institutions in Zurich integrating therapeutic arts programming, building on the Kunsthaus's existing 'Aufgeweckte Kunst-Geschichten' program for people with dementia or Alzheimer's.
- People: Ann Demeester, Cathy Marston, Ilona Schmiel, Clare Guss-West
- Museums: Kunsthaus Zürich
- Locations: Zürich
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