Welcome to the Chiswick Coffee Break ep 10. My guest is Donna Schoenherr.

Donna is another native New Yorker. Starting out with the Festival Ballet of New York, she did her formative training at the prestigious Botsford School in Rochester. She went on to dance with the Cleveland Ballet & Michael Mao Dance Co. amongst others, & then on to train, dance, choreograph & teach across the globe before settling in here in West London.

After the birth of her son, Donna founded Ballet4Life which she set up in 2004 and was one of the first organisations to provide adult learners in London with comprehensive programmes of high-quality ballet and dance courses. 18 years later, Ballet4life is a well-established and thriving institution, with daily classes both online and in-person and has delivered dance to thousands of Londoners.

In 2015 she launched Move into Wellbeing, a dance programme for people living with Parkinson’s disease & other mobility restrictions. Move into Wellbeing was inspired by Donna’s father Gerard E Schoenherr who lived with Parkinson’s for 30 years and who she saw benefit hugely from music and movement-based therapy. This registered charity brings joy and relief to 100s each week with classes in over 8+ venues & also online.

Donna and her husband have resided in West London for 26 years and she is a proud mum to their son who is now studying hard at Imperial College of London. And if that wasn’t enough, Donna is also a gifted & accomplished photographer, artist, and former model too.

Go grab a coffee and enjoy our conversation.