Louise Phillimore of Noosaville has had arthritis in her lower back for eight years, and now she’s dancing her way through it.
Performing a pirouette, practising a plie or trying a tendu may not sound like traditional prescriptions for Queenslanders living with arthritis, but a new program is set to take a different approach for a spin.
An unlikely partnership between Arthritis Queensland and Queensland Ballet is offering people living with arthritis a new way to reclaim strength and ease pain through dance.
The collaboration, called Dance Moves, runs between February and November, and will see hundreds of people living with arthritis come together for free and learn from Queensland’s leading ballet artists via video call.
“After being diagnosed with arthritis, I cannot do any heavy lifting or long hilly walks that I used to love doing. I still walk but only short distances,” Louise said.
“I know that I have to keep my back supple and I have to exercise it. I have always loved ballet and ballet music (my daughter is a ballet teacher) so when I saw classes being advertised in conjunction with Queensland Ballet I thought it would be a great opportunity to take part.
“Exercise to music is just so much more enjoyable.”
Louise, who lived in South Africa and moved to Noosa 10 years ago after her husband passed away, was a cooking teacher before retiring.
“I found out about the Dance Moves through Arthritis Queensland. I have done a couple of their other online exercise classes. The first one was when I was in lock down in Perth in May 2020,” she said.
“I started the Dance Moves classes three weeks ago at the beginning of February 2023 and so far I have found that any movement that loosens up my back helps with the management of the pain.
“I have really enjoyed the whole programme. It certainly has made me much more aware of how difficult ballet is and how fit the dancers are. I’m learning and loving every second of it.
“It’s great that it’s online because they can’t see how bad I am.“
Arthritis Queensland health promotion manager Jessica Neri said the Dance Moves program was designed to help Queenslanders living with arthritis reduce pain while improving function, mood, and quality of life.
“Often people with arthritis worry that exercise will worsen their condition, but the latest research shows that gentle exercise – like a tailored ballet program – is one of the best things you can do,” Ms Neri said.
“By encouraging people to try ballet in a comfortable environment with trained instructors, we want to empower and challenge participants to explore what is possible for them.”
Ms Neri said many participants had limited activity when starting programs like Dance Moves but soon saw physical benefits.
“Recently one of our participants from our exercise program, Arthritis Moves, went on an overseas holiday and was amazed that she was able to climb up and down rocks and walk on unsteady surfaces. She noted if she hadn’t been participating in classes she would have been a spectator on her holiday instead of an adventurer,” Ms Neri said.
Queensland Ballet head of community engagement Lily Spencer said the program was curated and choreographed for people living with arthritis by Queensland Ballet’s education teaching artists.
“Dance Moves is a unique opportunity to exercise and work with experienced instructors from Queensland Ballet,” Ms Spencer said.
“We are the experts in the choreography space, but we collaborated with experts in arthritis to ensure we had a detailed understanding of the condition and could effectively tailor our choreography for the best possible health benefits.
“Regular participation in exercise and physical activity is one of the best non-medication activities people can do. Ballet is especially helpful with mobility and balance.”
According to experts, participation in joint-friendly physical activities such as walking, riding a bike, swimming or dancing can improve arthritis pain, function, mood, and quality of life.
There are more than 100 types of arthritis, with specific symptoms varying depending on the type of arthritis. Most include joint pain and stiffness.
Arthritis Queensland General Manager Ultan O’Dwyer said Dance Moves was born out of another online program the organisation ran during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We had great success over the past few years with digital exercise programs carried out online,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
“In Queensland, we have large populations spread across the state, so an online program is a great way to reach those audiences and bring the community together.
“People living with arthritis face a lot of barriers when looking to take part in exercise, so it was important we found a partnership that ticks all the boxes and working with Queensland Ballet does just that.”
Registrations for Dance Moves classes opened to the public on 27 February and classes will commence on 20 March.
The program is free to register and runs until the end of November. To learn more or to register, visit the Arthritis Queensland website.
Dance Moves is proudly supported by the Queensland Government and Health and Wellbeing Queensland through ActiveKIT Round 2.
