Proud to be the first Dance for PD® Certified Teacher in South Korea, Mina Park has taught ballet for over 20 years and Pilates for almost 10 years across both Australia and South Korea. Her passion for ballet began at the age of 10 where she remembers taking her first ballet classes. Mina then attended Yewon Art Middle School, and Seoul Art High School where she continued to take regular ballet classes. Upon leaving high school, she pursued a major in ballet at Sunkyunkwan University.

Post completion of her ballet major, Mina began to realize she was passionate about teaching. She completed a Certificate in Dance Teaching studies from the Royal Academy of Dance in 2006. In 2007, she took a giant leap of faith and moved to Australia, citing her desire to explore life outside of South Korea and gain new experiences. A few years after settling down in Australia, getting used to life in a different country, and making new friends, she became a certified instructor with Polestar Pilates. It was whilst living in Australia that she encountered her first Parkinson’s Disease (PD) student while working at a Pilates Center in Brisbane. It was in that short time that Mina realized she wanted to help people with PD through dance. There were however moments where she felt like she was out of her depth. After a lot of careful research, she discovered Dance for PD®, and attended her first ever Dance for PD® training whilst still in Brisbane (2022).

Mina decided to move back to South Korea at the end of 2022. Her journey into helping people with PD continued through Dance for PD® Teacher Training at the Dancer’s Career Development Center in Seoul. In 2024, she completed her official Dance for PD® Certification. Whilst in Australia still, she founded an organization called Art In Movement, today the organization exists in South Korea and its mission is to empower communities through the joy and artistry of dance. Art in Movement does this by offering classes for seniors, people with PD and dementia.

Everyone deserves to experience the power of dance, age or prior experience should not be limiting factors. Mina confidently reflects on how she has first-hand seen the benefits of dance to people, especially the elderly and those with Parkinson’s Disease. Not only is it her organization’s primary purpose, but it is also a personal mission of Mina’s to help the elderly experience the benefits of dance.