Tango Mercurio Adapted Tango Program

Bringing Tango to People with Parkinson’s

Emory University Professor Madeleine Hackney teaches Tango

Tango Mercurio is excited to launch its Adapted Tango Program, designed to provide therapeutic benefit, improve the quality of life, spark joy, and promote social connection among people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) through Argentine tango. Developed and researched by Dr. Madeleine Hackney, a world-renowned movement scientist, the Program is informed by scientific research demonstrating tango’s unique benefits for people with PD and other motor and neurological disorders.

We aim to share these benefits more widely by bringing our Adapted Tango Program to people in Washington, DC who might not otherwise experience this unique art form. First, we are hosting Dr. Hackney on September 5–7, 2025 for a 16-hour instructor training session at The George Washington University’s Post Hall. Instruction will include a lecture on movement disorders, sensory and motor impairments, and falls in those with PD and older adults; balance management training; Adapted Tango Program class structure and syllabus breakdown; a practicum; and a written exam. No dance experience or partner is required, and the session is free of charge for participants who commit to volunteering for a five-week series of weekly classes.

In the second phase of the Program, beginning September 17, we will offer two five-week series of Adapted Tango Program classes for people with PD and other movement disorders and their caregivers. Each series, which will be offered free of charge, will consist of weekly 1.5-hour classes for five weeks on the main GWU campus, with a 1:1 ratio of people with PD to people without PD (instructors and caregivers). For information on applying for training and enrolling in a pilot series, contact us at info@tangomercurio.org.

Our Adapted Tango Program is partially funded by a generous grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Please help us make up the difference by contributing to our GoFundMe campaign. Thank you for your support!