MARLBOROUGH – “Five, six, seven, eight…” rings out over and over as dance instructor Kelly Maccioli leads her students through various warm-up exercises and a simple tap dance routine.
Unlike her other classes of elementary school students and younger, this class is targeted to adults, and, in particular, adults who have Parkinson’s disease. This is the first time Spirit in Motion Dance Academy has offered this class and so far, it appears to be well-received, with the number of members increasing weekly.
Parkinson’s, a progressive neuro movement disorder, attacks the nervous system, often causing tremors, balance and gait issues, and rigid muscles.
Through repetitive movement such as a dance class, proponents hope to restore some balance and stability, and loosen stiff muscles. It has been noted that better mobility often leads to better moods in those with the disease.
One of the tappers was AnneMarie O’Brien, from Northborough, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015. She is a former tap dance instructor, and participated in ballroom dancing as well, but recently has begun struggling, due to lack of muscle control.
“I think that combining the physical and mental aspects help us to keep what we have working and going. I enjoy being back in a dance studio, it feels like home,” she said.
Another dancer, Les Stacy, came all the way from Northbridge. He has had Parkinson’s for three years and found that physical exercise is helping. He tries to get to a boxing or dancing class three times each week.
Maccioli attributes her motivation to offer the class to her mother, Carol Raiano, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s over twenty years ago.
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“I looked around and everyone was doing the same old thing…boxing, walking, and exercise classes. I wanted something with a little more fun to it, and when I asked around, others were thinking the same thing,” Raiano said. “At one of the Parkinson’s Support Group sessions at the Marlborough Senior Center, I heard Anne Marie talking about how she used to teach tap dancing and how devastating it was to give it up, and it gave me the idea. I asked Kelly to come talk to the group and she did a presentation, complete with her tap shoes.”
The reception was positive, so Maccioli spoke to Dawn Ronan, owner of the dance studio, who graciously offered the use of the studio on Friday afternoons.
The class is free to those with Parkinson’s and their caregivers and is run in conjunction with the Parkinson’s Support Group at the Marlborough Senior Center and also the Westborough Chapter Parkinson’s Support Group.
The Raiano/Maccioli families are not new to helping others deal with the debilitating disease.
Currently, Raiano and her husband, Robert, are active in the support group in Marlborough, showing educational videos about different treatments, side effects, and sometimes just socializing and sharing recipes. He has printed booklets of information for caregivers that he distributes. She also participates in Rock Steady Boxing in Boylston with Christine Awdycki and has spread the word about the tap class there.
Maccioli herself has done many fundraisers for the Michael J. Fox Foundation through Team Fox. She has run eight marathons, a “Run the Year” challenge raffle, and sponsored Putt-Putt for Parkinson’s at Trombetta’s in Marlborough twice before Covid hit. Robert and youngest daughter, Meg, have ridden in several 100-mile bicycle events representing Team Fox, while Raiano sews extra large fleece Christmas stockings and sells them, donating proceeds to the Foundation.
The Tapping for Parkinson’s class was held through Dec. 20 at Spirit in Motion Dance Academy, though Maccioli is open to extending the class if all continues to go well. The class is not a fundraiser, it’s to help the Parkinson’s community.
Maccioli shares that in the years she’s been involved with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, she’s been pleased to watch things go from research to practical applications, and recently they discovered biomarkers that may help give early diagnosis that will let treatments begin sooner.
As for the tapping class, Maccioli reminds, “Parkinson’s is about losing muscle memory and neurological, so learning a dance routine is perfect.”
