
Julie Lea
Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
About fourteen years ago The National Ballet School (NBS) in Toronto sent out a broadcast email inviting anyone interested in finding out about Dance for PD to attend the initial two-day work shop with David Leventhal. I went. I participated. I was hooked.
Locally I taught Ballet and Jazz to children and youth for four decades. Because of my many years of teaching dance to this age group, I have a well nurtured imagination. Imagination is, I believe, one of the key components in a Dance for PD class.
With a case of ‘the more I learn, the less I know’, I made a point of taking myself each year to summer school. The highlight of these years was participating in the dance teachers’ seminars at NBS where I had the great pleasure of listening to and learning from such dance luminaries as Irene Dowd, Peggy Baker and Sorella Englund plus the approachable teaching staff at NBS.
As a lifelong learner, I look forward to my continued association with Dance for PD and to the lessons to be learned from the participants in these classes. Leading a Dance for PD class is my welcomed, ongoing challenge and quiet joy.