Tango Mercurio Adapted Tango Program
/Bringing Tango to People with Parkinson’s
Emory University Professor Madeleine Hackney teaches Adapted Tango
Tango Mercurio is excited to launch its Adapted Tango Program, designed to provide the scientifically proven benefits of partnered and improvised dance to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other movement disorders through a safe, interesting, and fun adaptation of traditional Argentine tango. Developed by Dr. Madeleine Hackney, a world-renowned movement scientist, and inspired by the Tango Therapy Project in Philadelphia, the Program consists of two parts: training for instructors and two five-week pilot series for people with PD and their caregivers.
First, we are offering a 16-hour instructor training session with Dr. Hackney September 5–7, 2025 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). The first pilot runs September 17 to October 15; the second pilot, October 22 to November 19. For any questions 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!
