DIRECTOR, FOUNDER

Roosa Leimu-Brown is a freelance dance artist, yoga therapist and a movement educator with a PhD in biology. She has trained as a professional dancer with the Helsinki Dance Institute and the Swedish Royal Ballet school, and is specialized in leading dance for older people including those with Parkinson’s and dementia. She is an Associate Dance Artist at the English National Ballet co-leading their Dance for Parkinson’s classes in Oxford. She has worked as an Artist in Residence in the NHS Foundation Trust’s Creating with Care programme and as a dance artist in the Dance for Health program. She has lead dance and exercise sessions for the Age UK, Generation Games and Dance Creative. In addition to her basic dance training, Roosa has completed the Green Candle Dance Company’s diploma course in leading dance for older people and the Postural Stability Instructor training for falls prevention run by Later Life Training. Roosa has practiced and shared yoga for over 20 years and is a qualified Yoga Therapist. She extensive experience in creative work, performing and choreographing and has danced professionally with the Swedish Royal Ballet, Biserk Dance, and Justice in Motion. Roosa is also a research biologist with over 15-years of experience in academia as a researcher, lecturer, project manager and supervisor. She last worked as a lecturer at the University of Oxford.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Louisa Dalton is freelance dance artist who trained at Roehampton University and received a first class BA (Hons) in Dance. She is an Associate Artist at English National Ballet, co-leading their Dance for Parkinson’s programme in Oxford. She has also co-led the Dance for Parkinson’s programme in London and delivered workshops across the UK. In addition to this, Louisa co-leads seated and standing classes with MuMo Creative and has recently delivered ‘Online adventures in dancing with Parkinson’s’ for People Dancing. Louisa has worked with Green Candle Dance Company to support the delivery of dance classes for people with dementia, older people in the community as well as primary school students. She has taught RAD syllabus and contemporary classes at Turning Pointe Dance School and assisted with the Ballet Boyz Dance for Parkinson’s programme. 

MUSIC DIRECTOR

Nia Williams is a freelance musician and writer. Her work as a pianist and musical director takes her into opera, theatre, musical theatre and dance companies, schools and colleges, and she has accompanied singers and instrumentalists in genres ranging from art song, opera and ballet to musical theatre, jazz and ballads. As an English National Ballet Associate Artist, Nia co-leads Oxford’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme, and she delivers workshops combining music, movement and storytelling for all age groups and levels. These have included sessions for Creation Theatre, Live Nation Theatre, Flourish (bringing the arts to people with dementia) and Create with Care, as well as workshops on her own compositions with postgraduate students at the Royal Academy of Music. Nia founded and runs award-winning theatre company Three Chairs and a Hat, which has performed at Edinburgh, Brighton and Camden Fringe Festivals as well as theatres across the south, and streams on international platform Scenesaver. As well as several musicals, Nia has written eight novels, many short stories, lyrics and libretti.

CHARITY GOVERNANCE ADVISOR, TREASURER

ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Serenna Wagner (PhD Candidate MMus MA) is a neurologic music therapist, certified coach and teacher, qualified sound healing practitioner, and a professional opera singer. Serenna currently works with a wide range of different clients, and aims to bring about dramatic and lasting transformation through science-backed, evidence-based practice within sessions that are focused on enrichment, building connections, confidence and most importantly having a lot of fun! She aims to motivate her clients by choosing repertoire that they will really enjoy and seeks to engage them as much as possible with singing and music-making that embraces beauty and artistry with an emphasis on high-quality material in accessible keys. Serenna runs our Singing for Parkinson’s programme. Learn more about Serenna.

Irini is an experienced project and events manager. She is trained in classical and contemporary dance and volunteered for the Dance for Parkinson’s classes in Oxford from 2017-2020. Currently she is serving as the chair of MuMo Creative.

Jitka is passionate about music and exercise, and believes that music should be part of everyone’s experience, both young and old, because it brings cultural enrichment and joy into people’s lives. She has been a professional fundraiser, predominantly in the field of education. More recently, she has been running a charity supporting people living with dementia and Parkinson’s, witnessing at first hand the effect music and movement can have.

Morten is a professor of neuroscience at University of Oxford, UK and Aarhus University, Denmark. He is the director of the 'Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing', fellow of Linacre College, Oxford and board member of the Empathy Museum. Morten is interested in understanding hedonia (pleasure) and eudaimonia (the life well-lived). He uses advanced neuroimaging, neurosurgical and whole-brain modelling methods to understand brain function together with his team and international collaborators.

Jennifer is the Domestic Bursar at Balliol College, University of Oxford. Before moving to Oxford, she worked as the Executive Director of the Longborough Festival Opera. Jennifer has proven leadership skills in strategic, operational & financial planning, team management, marketing, advocacy, grant writing, artistic planning, negotiation, facilitation. She is passionate about the arts and supporting artists along with sustainable environmental practices, social cohesion, community enterprise. Jennifer has enjoyed a varied career across the arts, charitable and commercial sectors, working in organisations with strong values.

Béatrice is a representative of our beneficiaries. She was diagnosed with Parkinsons over ten years ago and has had Deep Brain Stimulation surgery to alleviate her tremor. She has always loved dance and used to dance Lindy Hop when she was younger. She is a long-term member of our Dance for Parkinson’s programme and finds dance and music enjoyable and especially useful to manage her symptoms. Béatrice is trained as a teacher of French as a foreign language, teaching both adults and children. She taught at the European School Culham and holds a degree in English literature and a master’s degree in teaching French as a foreign language. She also has an interest in art, photography and travelling.

Sophie has her interests in and has studied Social Sciences, Art, Film Studies and Italian. She has been volunteering for our Dance for Parkinson’s programme for a few years and also works as a volunteer at the JR Hospital as guide. Sophie has worked at the Museum of Modern Art Oxford, and has been in several committees for various Charities, such as the Save the Children Fund and a Link School Charity, which raised funds to build a Schoolhouse for teachers at the Kokobirico School in Ghana. Sophie has experience in fundraising and event management including Opera and Musical evenings.