Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ali Woerner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ali , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Years ago, one of my parents’ best friends was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He took a dance class specifically for those living with PD and loved it. I got a call from him shortly after asking me to figure out how to offer a class near us such as the one he took. I found I could be trained in Dance for PD in Brooklyn, NY through Mark Morris’s Dance for PD program. I received a grant, flew to NY, got trained, met with the Michigan Parkinson Foundation and Oakland University who agreed to help publicize and allow a free class on campus once a month. Fast forward to 2022 and my non-profit, Take Root, offers our Dance for Parkinson’s Disease Program three times a week and in three separate locations in Rochester and Southfield. We have five trained teachers on our faculty. I am a guest speaker for Oakland University’s Graduate NeuroScience course, visit support groups and special events all over South East Michigan. The participants who come to our classes are like family to us. We learn about their families, their hobbies, their lives besides living with PD. We are given the opportunity to offer them an hour of joy, laughter and connection. It makes a difference not only in their quality of life but in their spouse’s or caregiver’s and also in ours! The Take Root professional company has performed all over the world, but nothing compares to the difference we are making with this special community. My parents’ friend passed away from PD over a year ago. I am thankful for the time I got to have each week; dancing with him, laughing and the discovery of a new connection we formed that would have never existed otherwise. Using my art form to give back and pay it forward is a true gift.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a choreographer who uses the kinesthetic vocabulary of dance to tell stories, celebrate human connections, and impact lives through dance. Take Root, my non-profit dance company was created as a vessel for that purpose. The professional company performs throughout the world in concerts and festivals. Take Root’s Dance for Parkinson’s Disease and Arts Education Impact Outreach Programs work with unique populations locally, nationally and internationally creating spaces for participants to find joy, connections, confidence and creativity. Growing up in Metro Detroit, a child of two public school teachers passionate about education and the arts, I learned early on about the power of creativity. I intersect my history to create stories about the deeper connections that join our individual experiences; professional dancers, musicians, children and those living with Parkinson’s disease throughout Metro Detroit. I am proud and inspired by the work we do for the community and the bridge we create between the specific populations.Take Root brings the impact of dance to underserved areas where arts funding doesn’t exist so children can create, problem solve and find their own voices through movement and musical creations. We also offer weekly classes to those living with Parkinson’s disease, focusing on quality of life and wellness not just to those living with PD but also their caregivers and spouses. Most importantly, we create a thread that ties our professional company to our outreach programs which cultivates an entire community impacted through dance.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The arts offer so much more to our society and communities than simply a product. Arts have been proven to stimulate the brain in a multitude of ways, unlike anything else. The arts, specifically in dance from my experience, creates highly functional problem solvers and individuals whom are quick thinkers with the ability to find success in any pressured situation. The arts offer confidence where individuals discover that their own creative ideas are valued and supported. It doesn’t necessarily mean those individuals go on to become professional performers, but they go on to become successful across the board; marketing executives, entrepreneurs, teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc. Society could start to view the arts as essential to our communities starting with early education. Arts is the first to be cut from schools and programs because the are deemed unessential. Supporting the arts. not just by showing up to a show once a year, but by investing in the arts programs throughout communities, whether that is through time or money, could make a huge difference. Fighting for further funding, creating more program opportunities, investing in arts education not only supports the arts but gives the arts an indefinite lifeline.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My personal mission and the mission of Take Root is to Impact Lives Through Dance. We do this every day and in every way. It isn’t just the participant of our outreach programs whom we impact. We impact their families when they see the change in their loved one after being a part of our classes. We impact the community when they have the opportunity to offer our outreach programs. The ripple effect of the impact continues on far past the end of the class each day. Dance and music can be a powerful source of positive change. We are here to offer that impact but also to encourage others; family members, community leaders, to make their own impact. The highlight of my day is when I walk into one of our weekly Dance for Parkinson’s disease classes and I am met by 15 people, all living with Parkinson’s Disease, seated in their chairs making a circle and they are eager and ready to dance to some Smokey Robinson with me. Not only do I know their day is going to be better, but so is mine! The impact is important and it is essential.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.takerootdance.com
- Instagram: Take Root Dance
- Facebook: Take Root Dance
- Youtube: Take Root
Image Credits
Minty Photography