Moving Along: A Co-Produced Graphic Novel about Parkinson's Dance
Myers, Kimberly ; Vaccarella, Maria ; Frølunde, Lisbeth
Synopsis "Moving Along: A Co-Produced Graphic Novel about Parkinson's Dance"
A brilliant, touching and thought-provoking book. Moving Along merges academic research with personal narrative and beautifully rendered drawings to create a one-of-a-kind book that contributes fresh and compelling perspectives. This life-affirming graphic novel is essential reading for anyone interested in Parkinson's and the power of art and community to sustain and nurture the human spirit. (David Leventhal, Program Director and Founding Teacher, Dance for PD(R), Mark Morris Dance Group, Brooklyn, NY USA) This is a wonderfully accessible book that has been co-created by people living with Parkinson's, researchers and artists. In the true-to-life stories, the anxieties and challenges of living with Parkinson's are explored in evocative cartoons. Yet, as well as talking about the challenges, the book has the joy of dancing at its heart. Dance has proved to be an exceptionally good catalyst for living well with Parkinson's and this graphic novel illustrates individual journeys through Parkinson's and into dance. For anyone curious about dancing who now lives with Parkinson's, or knows someone who does, this book is for you. For anyone interested in graphic medicine, dance for wellbeing, or arts in healthcare, this book is an important addition to the literature. (Professor Sara Houston, author of Dancing with Parkinson's) Meet Hugo, Karen, Alma, Helene, Anne-Marie, Poul, Lone, and Eskild, who go to Parkinson's dance class together. They are characters in this graphic novel, which is based on many stories about Parkinson's. The stories come from participants in Parkinson's dance who have talked about how dance involves bodily, aesthetic experiences, including the feeling of bubbles in their bodies and flying together. Dancing brings joy, energy, and community, and thereby strengthens the will to live, all important when a chronic illness turns your world upside down. This book, a co-produced research-based graphic novel, is designed for use in the fields of arts and health, medical humanities, graphic medicine, and narrative medicine. It is also written for people with Parkinson's, or other chronic diseases, and their families. The book invites dialogue about the existential dimensions of chronic illness, especially Parkinson's, and long-term caregiving.
