Red, Yellow, Black (World Parkinson's Congress)

In early July 2023, 25 people with Parkinson's and care partners from four continents gathered in Barcelona to perform Red, Yellow, Black as part of the opening ceremony of the World Parkinson's Congress. They performed in front of thousands of the world's leading doctors, researchers, and patient advocates. The piece itself was an homage to the host country, featuring swirling red and yellow towels, flamenco vocabulary, and the combination of a famous sardana and Mediterranean folk music.

To make the performance possible, Pam and Colin created a web tutorial of the choreography and sent it out across the world to the performers. People rehearsed the piece in pairs from their home countries, at their own pace. Some were experienced dancers, while others had never been part of a performance before.

After arriving in Barcelona, the group had only two in-person rehearsals before the show. It was the first time most of them had ever shared a room, and many did not speak the same language. Yet these barriers only seemed to deepen their commitment to the dance and each other. Beatriz Navarro traveled from Argentina and handmade commemorative bookmarks for everyone in the dance. Mie Maruyama came all the way from Japan and performed with her daughter Sora, for whom it was her first time ever leaving the country. Nina Jucker from Germany, Jan Rose and Margie Alley from the U.S. came having never been in a piece before, yet knowing every part of their role.

When the dancers took the stage, the technicians started the music at the wrong time! The dancers showed incredible resolve, staying calm and restarting the piece in front of thousands. They pulled off a performance better than anything they had done in rehearsal.

At the end of the WPC, Colin and Pam organized a small party on the Barcelona beach for everyone still around. Word reached the congress organizers, and what started as an intimate gathering turned into several hundred people.