Leadership Team: Susan Weber
“When I was a professional dancer, which was quite a long time ago, there were dancers in ballet companies in the 70s who could say to their directors, ‘you know I'm really just a classical dancer. You can put me in Giselle, Swan Lake, Nutcracker (things that are based on classical technique). I'm not so comfortable doing the Twyla Tharp work or the Mark Morris work.’ And, at that time, that was possible. A director could honor that request or that sensibility, and there were people who started to define themselves that way. You can't do that now, everybody's got to be able to do contemporary work.” - Susan Weber, Dance for PD® Director, Studio Company Advisor
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Dance Empowers!
In May of 2018, Robert Dekkers began rehearsals for his “One and All,” a work conceived to include dancers from BBT’s Youth, Adult Open, and Dance for PD® programs. Meris Emory, Shelly Forster, Sarah Hardesty, and Liz Shepherd made up two Dance for PD® casts. The following is an edited version of an interview with the quartet from December 2020.
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“Where All Can Dance” Is Real: The History of Dance for PD® at Berkeley Ballet Theater
“Through it all the glue that holds us together is our remarkable community. Mirroring the city we live in, our group is intelligent, compassionate, engaged, diverse, creative, open, and courageous. Dealing with a challenge like PD encourages “realness,” and we share a lot of that.” - Susan Weber, Director of BBT’s Dance for PD® program
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Dance for PD: Providing the Way
“When I dance, I can mostly forget my limitations and be caught up in focused, mindful music and specifically helpful exercise—at the best of times in a state of ‘flow’ that fully engages me.” - Alan
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Dance for PD: Over a Decade of Support
“Susan and her associate instructors, with wonderful and inspired live piano musical accompaniment by Chris and Gerry, got us gently and slowly moving. By the end of class, we were all energized, laughing, socializing, moving better, and amazed at some of the things we had been able to do in class.” - Mike
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