A neurological disease diagnosis starts with a spark of fear and spreads like a wildfire, transforming the landscape of life.<\/p>\n
Those afflicted with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson\u2019s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) scramble for cures or interventions to stop the progression.<\/p>\n
Clinicians strategize.<\/p>\n
Caregivers struggle with the stress of sharing the suffering of loved ones.<\/p>\n
Lexii Regina Alcaraz realized that her unique understanding of that process could help bring families through the fire by creating an experience that was missing from neurorehabilitation.<\/p>\n
Both a physical therapist and professional movement artist, Alcaraz collaborated with Malashock Dance to create San Diego NeuroDance, a pilot program that launched earlier this year.<\/p>\n
![\"During](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sut-l-neurodance2-018.jpg\")
During a San Diego NeuroDance class, 72-year-old Ron Weidner works on hand and finger exercises with his wife and primary caregiver, Kitty Weidner. Weidner, a former home painting contractor, retired after later being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.\u00a0 (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Simply put, the program funded by The Prebys Foundation\u2019s Healing Through the Arts grant, brings together dance professionals, physical therapists, trained volunteers, caregivers and those suffering from a range of neurological conditions for a no-pressure hour of music and \u2014 this is the surprising part \u2014 dance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the medical system, insurance dictates what you have time for and what is goal-based,\u201d explained Alcaraz, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in neuroscience from Indiana University Bloomington and a doctorate in physical therapy from San Diego State University.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuality of life can get put by the wayside. It\u2019s more about how you need to transfer efficiently and safely, rather than, this is how you can hold someone up, look them in the eyes, hug them and have that human connection. I wanted to create this program to let people have a space where we would be able to precipitate what challenges they might have \u2014 a place where the participants can just focus on learning something new, having fun and connecting with their loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The inspiration<\/strong><\/p>\n Alcaraz was motivated to create the program after caring for her dad, who was diagnosed in 2019 with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n At the time, she was living at home and enrolled in SDSU\u2019s physical therapy doctoral program.<\/p>\n Alcaraz and her mom became her father\u2019s caregivers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a devastating disease,\u201d Alcaraz acknowledged. \u201cBut I had the support of my teachers and I knew enough to help him. And we were going to make it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Alcaraz grew up in Chula Vista, and her first passion was circus arts, an art form that continues to move her. She\u2019s the artistic director for the award-winning Lighthouse Circus Theatre, and she often trains and supports theater and dance artists.<\/p>\n But SD NeuroDance, she said, is \u201csuper personal\u201d for her.<\/p>\n When her older sister got married in 2020, her father had difficulty standing. For the wedding reception, Alcaraz taught her sister how to support her dad, so they could have a father and daughter dance. A year later, her father died at the age of 59, and Alcaraz remembered that despite the difficult times in caregiving, there was \u201cso much joy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s because we took the time to have fun with it,\u201d she added, \u201cand because of my physical therapy background, I felt confident knowing how to help my dad move and feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n The preparation<\/p>\n Alcaraz contacted Molly Puryear, the executive director of Malashock Dance and the first dance teacher she trained with in San Diego.<\/p>\n Together, they collaborated on applying for\u00a0The Prebys Foundation\u2019s Healing Through the Arts initiative.<\/p>\n After months of planning, the Preybys Foundation awarded $64,000 to help fund the program.<\/p>\n It was cause for celebration, but that was just the beginning.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many things that have to be lined up in order to apply for a grant, and even then, you might not get it,\u201d said Puryear, who added that the application process takes about 40 hours to complete.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hired two dance teaching artists plus two physical therapists, and all of them participated in 24 hours of paid training.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, a documentarian was hired to film the classes as a tool for advocacy. Numerous volunteers, who underwent six hours of training, were recruited. Another goal was to find a venue at an ideal location with availability on Saturdays through November.<\/p>\n The Monarch Center of the Arts was chosen because it\u2019s accessible for all mobility devices, there is convenient parking, a large clean bathroom that\u2019s wheelchair-accessible, and there is public transportation nearby.<\/p>\n That was a significant consideration, Puryear said, because transportation can be a barrier to those with mobility challenges.<\/p>\n Many clinical studies have proven that dance movement therapy can improve motor function and cognitive deficits in neurodegenerative conditions, particularly in Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n But more studies are needed to address the myriad of conditions and symptoms.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important to know that for us, this is truly a pilot,\u201d Puryear stressed. \u201cThe physical therapists and dance teaching artists are all saying this is a game changer. This is groundbreaking work.\u201d<\/p>\n The delegations<\/p>\n After completing the SD NeuroDance training, two physical therapists (Paige Tolle and Rosalia Arellano) and two dance artists (Tina Carreras and Celina Naima Speck) were chosen to design classes that accommodated multiple neurological disorders, with a relatable soundtrack of their choosing.<\/p>\n Carreras is a professional dancer, choreographer and a teaching artist for San Diego Dance Theater\u2019s Aging Creatively class.<\/p>\n She instructed a slower-paced class for progressive atrophying conditions, such as MS and ALS, and participants could choose to sit or stand.<\/p>\n The session began with everyone seated in a circle. Soothing music played while Carreras described and demonstrated ballet foot articulation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are very specific extensions, like pointing the toes,\u201d Carreras said. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice, soft way to slow things down by stretching and warming up the feet.\u201d<\/p>\n Her class included a self-hug and songs such as \u201cStep Into Your Power\u201d by Ray LaMontagne and Perry Como\u2019s \u201cCatch a Falling Star.\u201d<\/p>\n She also passed out floaty, chiffon scarves, \u201ca fun, tactile prop,\u201d in shades of red, green, white and blue.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like an extension of the arm and you can say, \u2018Make a circle with your hand\u2019 and it enhances the movement,\u201d Carreras said. \u201cI can take the creativity I have that is intentional, and I can guide movement in a way that\u2019s explorative and beneficial for all these neurological conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Speck earned a bachelor of arts in contemporary dance from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in Switzerland, and she\u2019ll perform in San Diego Dance Theater\u2019s upcoming Trolley Dances.<\/p>\n Speck also has a teaching certificate from Dancing Wheels, an Ohio-based company that utilizes the talents of dancers both with and without disabilities.<\/p>\n She began a recent session by asking her participants to name something they feel grateful for, an exercise that \u201cchanges the energy in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Her soundtrack included artists such as Elton John, ABBA and Frank Sinatra\u2019s version of \u201cWhen\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat song is especially helpful for those afflicted with Parkinson\u2019s because for some, their facial expressions are getting smaller as their disease progresses,\u201d Speck said. \u201cI\u2019m aiming for the biggest facial expressions we can get.\u201d<\/p>\n Kitty and Ron Weidner, both in their early 70s, attended Speck\u2019s class this month. Ron has symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s disease and Kitty is his primary caregiver.<\/p>\n They attended Speck\u2019s class at Arellano\u2019s suggestion because Arellano, who earned a doctorate in physical therapy in addition to being a board certified neurologic clinical specialist, is Ron\u2019s physical therapist.<\/p>\n The couple accomplished something that surprised them both. They danced to \u201cNight Fever\u201d by the Bee Gees.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a good time,\u201d Kitty Weidner said by phone after the class.<\/p>\n \u201cRon needs a lot of direction, and most of the time, I lead. But he did well, and it helped him immensely. We are doing what we need to do to keep him mentally and physically active. I thought it was very worthwhile, and I enjoyed it, too. Over the years, we have danced together. We had a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll band at our wedding reception. We\u2019ve been married for 44 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Arellano said that recruiting for SD NeuroDance requires trust. She explained that people with these diagnoses are trying to physically improve, but when they hear about a dance class, they are likely to say, \u201cA dance class for fun? You\u2019re joking, right?\u201d An environment that is judgement- and goal-free, however, allows participants to share a different experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in rehabilitation for a long time and our focus as physical therapists is on function and independence \u2014 things we need in the community for our survival,\u201d Arellano said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we don\u2019t see classes like this. It was really fun to watch Ron and Kitty do some of the dance moves from their youth. The focus for SD NeuroDance is not rehab and survival. Rather, it\u2019s thriving and being human and connecting our common denominators. It\u2019s music and love.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Lexii](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sut-l-neurodance-020.jpg\")
Lexii Regina Alcaraz uses a chiffon scarf as a prop during one of the dance exercises at a San Diego NeuroDance class held at The Chrysalis: Monarch Center for the Arts. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"At](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sut-l-neurodance2-017.jpg\")
At The Chrysalis: Monarch Center for the Arts, Ron Weidner works with his physical therapist, Rosalia Arellano, on hand and foot dance movement. Weidner, a former home painting contractor, retired after later being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sut-l-neurodance-021.jpg\")
Teachers and students use scarves as a prop during a dance exercise at a San Diego NeuroDance class. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"At](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sut-l-neurodance2-005.jpg\")
At The Chrysalis: Monarch Center for the Arts, Ron Weidner goes through hand and foot exercises with his physical therapist, Rosalia Arellano. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nThe ramifications<\/p>\n