Short Bio
Pamela Quinn danced professionally for 20 years with ODC/San Francisco and with actor/writer Michael O’Connor before she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 42. Since that time she has used her extensive movement background, along with her personal experience of the disease, to investigate and create movement therapy for people with Parkinson’s. Her innovative approach has gained growing recognition and made her a sought after individual therapist and adviser for PD groups. She was the subject of a profile on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and was also featured in a piece on WABC in New York. Dance Magazine asked her to write a feature article on her experience as a dancer who developed a life-altering movement disorder. In addition to her private practice and work as a consultant, she currently teaches a class for people with Parkinson’s called Pam Quinn’s PD Movement Lab, sponsored by the Brooklyn Parkinson Group and held at the Mark Morris dance center in Brooklyn, NY. In 2010 she was asked to moderate a panel on “How to take charge of your Parkinson’s” and to teach a class at the Second World Parkinson Congress. Her video, Welcome to our World , was also co-winner of their first prize, in addition to receiving a Dance Media award as video of the month. She has spoken at many support groups, and she is a graduate of PDF’s Clinical Research Learning Institute and the Applied Teacher Training program. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children and qualifies as a soccer mom.