Arthritis sufferers can pirouette their way to free dance classes with the Queensland Ballet
A new partnership between Arthritis Queensland and Queensland Ballet is offering people living with arthritis an opportunity to get back on their feet in a fun yet safe way.
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A partnership between Arthritis Queensland and Queensland Ballet aims to offer arthritis sufferers an opportunity to get moving in a fun yet safe way.
The new “Dance Moves” collaboration, which runs from March through to November, will see hundreds of people across Queensland living with arthritis come together to learn from the state’s leading ballet artists via free, live online classes.
“In Queensland, we have over 700,000 people living with arthritis, and the research shows that it tends to be more common in women than men,” Arthritis Queensland’s health promotion manager Jessica Neri said.
Ms Neri said despite the misconception that people with arthritis were unable to partake in physical activity, arthritis-suitable exercise was one of the best ways to relieve symptoms.
“Exercise is one of the best things that people can do to help manage their arthritis, and unfortunately, many people struggle to exercise,” she said.
“So seeking the support of someone that’s trained to provide guidance on that exercise is really helpful.”
Geraldine Keating, 67, who has lived with arthritis for 16 years, said spending years not being able to do the things she loves because of the joint disease had been devastating, but the program had enabled her to renew her love for dance.
“It’s soul destroying as the disease process goes on, you start to feel like you’re on the scrap heap, and you see all these other people that can do so much, and you think ‘I wish I could’, I’ve got the interest and enthusiasm, but I just can’t find where to fit,” she said.
“So this program allows me just to be me, but yet to find the best way to get my body to do what I want it to do.
“I might not always look like the instructor, but I’m having fun and I’m doing something.”
There are six classes running a week, but Queensland Ballet Community and Access Manager Mimi Van Buuren hopes that number will continue to increase.
“We’re excited to see this program eventually lead up to running 12 classes a week,” she said.
“We’re just really excited to have another outlet to reach out to different community members who can’t maybe necessarily join us here at the Thomas Dixon Centre (in Brisbane’s West End)”.
Queensland Governor and Arthritis Queensland patron, Jeannette Young, said she is thrilled by the recent collaboration between the two organisations to promote health and wellbeing.
“The best way of managing arthritis is to continue mobility, but it can be really hard, so to have a different way of thinking how you can move is a really good thing,” she said.
“And to do it with a bit of music, a bit of fun, having expert teachers who know how to talk you through different moves is just so I think it’s a brilliant collaboration.”
Anyone suffering from arthritis can sign up for the free online fitness sessions through Arthritis Queensland from March 6, with classes starting on March 20.
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