A collaboration between Playhouse Square and Cleveland Clinic will bring a new series of arts programming to Northeast Ohioans living with neurological disorders.
Arts & Minds will offer free weekly classes designed to mitigate symptoms of neurological conditions through movement and socialization, said Craig Hassall, president and CEO of Playhouse Square.
鈥淲e're using all the science from Cleveland Clinic and all the art from Playhouse Square,鈥� Hassall said. 鈥淲e're the arts, and they're the minds.鈥�
Classes for the first offering, Dance for Parkinson鈥檚, are supported by a community grant from the Parkinson鈥檚 Foundation and are set to begin in the fall. .
All classes will be held in accessible spaces within Playhouse Square, which Hassall hopes will build confidence in participants and help reduce any stigma associated with these conditions.鈥�
"What we want to do is bring these conditions out, public, front and center and say, 'There's nothing wrong with you.'"Craig Hassall, president and CEO, Playhouse Square
鈥淚f you're taking the classes hidden away in a care facility, you're not really helping the person's confidence,鈥� Hassall said. 鈥淲hat we want to do is bring these conditions out, public, front and center and say, 鈥楾here's nothing wrong with you.鈥欌��
In addition to the classes, special events will be offered throughout the year, including intimate performances and opportunities to interact with cast members.
The health-related programming is just one aspect of growth Hassall is developing in Playhouse Square.
Prior to coming to Cleveland in 2023, Hassall was chief executive at Royal Albert Hall in London, which also launched a Dance for Parkinson鈥檚 program.
鈥淚t was incredibly popular,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I came to Playhouse Square, I thought, 鈥業'd love to do that.鈥欌��
Dr. Andre Machado, chief of the Neurological Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said that when Hassall approached him with the idea of creating the programs it didn鈥檛 take much convincing.
鈥淲e converged on the opportunity in seconds,鈥� Machado said. 鈥淲e all go to Playhouse Square to see art, not to seek treatment. And this is a place where a Cleveland organization dedicated to the arts and a Cleveland organization dedicated to healthcare come together to do a little bit of both.鈥�
Parkinson鈥檚 disease is not only a disease of movement, Machado said, it also affects visual perception and visual coordination, impacting a person鈥檚 ability to recognize space and how to plan movement in that space.
鈥淧hysical therapy is wonderful at addressing some of these limitations,鈥� Machado said. 鈥淚nterestingly enough, when you add another sense to this equation, not only the visual and the sensory, but you add music, you add the hearing to this, it provides a cadence that is helpful in the flow of movement.鈥�
Machado also said that this is just the beginning of the program. As more is learned about the effects of the classes, they鈥檒l look to expand it to other neurological disorders.
鈥淲e think it's going to be more interesting, more engaging, hopefully more fun and will help not only improve people's mobilities and independence 鈥� we care about that 鈥� but also hopefully lift their spirits, because it's not an easy life,鈥� Machado said.
