The power of dance is being used to reduce the isolation experienced by many Queenslanders with a brain injury.
Queensland Ballet operates Ballet for Brain Injury community classes, with a free event being offered during Brain Injury Awareness Week (August 18- 24) to introduce the concept to new participants.
Community and Dance Health Manager Mimi Van Buuren said the community dance workshops offered more people the chance to move, connect, and improve their wellbeing in a space that was supportive, creative, and joyful.
Ms Van Buuren said since launching in 2021, Queensland Ballet has held over 550 classes at its home in West End.
“This tailored program, underpinned by research, allows participants living with acquired brain injuries and their loved ones to enjoy the benefits of movement and dance.”
She said regular classes ran weekly on Saturday mornings at the Thomas Dixon Centre and were accompanied by live piano music.
“Every four minutes, an Australian is hospitalised with a brain injury, with three quarters of these individuals under the age of 64.
“Recovery can be long, isolating, and often overlooked, leaving lasting impacts on families, careers, and identities.”
Ms Van Buren said dance had been shown to help people surviving brain injury to re-inhabit their bodies and cope with emotional, cognitive, and physical impairments.
“We see the incredible impact of this weekly program, with our participants sharing that attending classes helps to improve their overall mood and outlook on life and oftentimes even their perspective on living with brain injury,” she said.
“Our classes promote connection through community, helping to reduce the sense of isolation that many people living with brain injury experience.
“As a Teaching Artist and Dancer, I have experienced firsthand the power of dance to connect us to our emotions and personal creative expression. It’s this sense of freedom through movement that our highly skilled Teaching Artists foster for participants in every class.”
Ms Van Buren said in addition to the free “Taster Class” on August 23, a Ballet for Brain Injury class would be held on Wednesday, August 20, for National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ) staff to experience the impact and scope of program.
She said the session would increase awareness of the program with staff directly supporting Queenslanders living with a traumatic brain injury caused by motor vehicle accidents, connecting scheme participants who were looking to explore available community integrated activities with Queensland Ballet.
