Outreach for Parkinson’s

Tango Mercurio’s Adapted Tango Program provides the scientifically proven therapeutic benefits of partnered and improvised social dance to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) through a safe, interesting, and fun adaptation of traditional Argentine tango. Developed by dancer and neuroscientist Dr. Madeleine Hackney, 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.

We are offering a 16-hour training session for prospective instructors September 5-7, 2025 at George Washington University’s Post Hall with Dr. Hackney. 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, warm-up, and basic partnering; Adapted Tango Fundamentals and syllabus breakdown; a practicum; and a written exam. To enroll in the training program apply now. Applications are due August 1.

No dance experience or partner is required for either the instructor training or the pilot series. The instructor training session is free of charge for participants who commit to volunteering for one of the two five-week pilot series; $350 for all others. Applications for both the training and the pilot series are due August 1.

APPLY NOW.

This 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!