Wheelchair-Bound Seniors Find Joy Tap Dancing — With Their Hands

GREENPORT, NY — There's a joy found in dance, a natural exuberance and excitement, that can be experienced at any age.

Just ask the seniors at Peconic Landing, a retirement community and nursing home, and San Simeon By the Sound, also a nursing home — both are located in Greenport — where former Rockette Lucille Naar-Saladino, the former owner of MainStage Dance Academy, is teaching a program, Tap Dancing Hands Down.*

"The program has been designed for people with limited mobility and wheelchair-bound people. It has been a great success at both nursing homes," she said, adding that she also taught a similar program at the Acadia Nursing Home in Riverhead.

Tap Dancing Hands Down® is an eight-week program; classes are once a week. Authentic tap shoe taps are sewn onto gloves, and the student taps on wooden boards similar to cutting boards, Naar-Saladino said, learning basic tap steps and easy routines.

"At Acadia Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Riverhead we had a recital on the last day of class. The residents wore tops hats and the rec director invited family members to view the class and performance," she said.

A similar show was performed at Peconic Landing, she added.

"A dancer friend of mine, Mary Six Rupert, created the program," Naar-Saladino said. "It was initially designed for her mom who was a dancer and had a stroke. She became immobile but her memory was keen enough to remember steps."

(Lucille Naar-Saladino)

Teachers must be certified to instruct the class, she said.

Anyone at any age who has limited mobility or is completely immobile is eligible for the program, Naar-Saladino said — as is anyone who needs assistance standing or walking, or those who are in wheelchairs.

Experience in dance or music is not necessary, Naar-Saladino said. "The program is designed for anyone," she said.

There's joy to be found around the tables where seniors gather, wearing brightly colored hats and boas, ready to explore new ways to dance — and to savor the experience of music and movement.

"It gives them confidence to be able to learn how to tap dance," Naar-Saladino said. "They are learning the same steps that would be taught for your feet but the steps are executed with their hands. I play lots of music so they really enjoy that aspect, too. Basically, the class is conducted like a traditional dance class. Most importantly, they are utilizing their brains and memory skills to pick up steps and remember the steps."

Hearing music, Naar-Saladino said, brings joy to all those participating. "I always see smiling faces and enjoyment from the 'dancers'. The fact they are able to dance, even though it is with their hands, is quite an accomplishment for someone who is bound to a wheelchair."

The program has also been rich and rewarding for Naar-Saladino.

"I loved seeing the residents become so serious about making sure they pick up the steps. It was so cute. One actually asked me for notes! It is fulfilling to me to be able to give my passion in life to people who might never have thought they would be able to walk, yet alone dance, again," she said.

The program will kick off again on Sept. 9 at Peconic Landing.

Jennifer Gaffga, director of recreation at Peconic Landing, said the program is beloved by participants. "As part of a successful aging process, it’s important to continue to incorporate movement and exercise into your daily routine," she said. The program, she added, "allows our members who may have some limited mobility to continue to incorporate movement, while at the same time have a lot of fun.”

Naar-Saladino, founder and longtime former executive and artistic director of the MainStage Dance Academy in Greenport, was born with dance in her heart. Once a Rockette, dazzling audiences with her high kicks, she has shared with Patch her behind-the-scenes memories of performing on one of the most celebrated stages in the world.

Naar-Saladino studied at a local dance school in Queens and also at various different schools in Manhattan; the owner of the Queens school, Catherine Dooley, set up her audition for a position with the Rockettes, she said.

She was 19 years old when she auditioned, living at home in Queens — and was 21 when she became a Rockette and then moved to Manhattan, Naar-Saladino said.

Once a Rockette, rehearsals included learning routines and kick line combinations for the upcoming show; the Rockettes used to perform four shows a day.

Being a Rockette meant donning spectacular garb, Naar-Saladino said.

(Lucille Naar-Saladino)

Dancing on the world-famous Radio City Music Hall stage was an experience Naar-Saladino will remember always.

"It was very exciting," she said. "It is such a beautiful stage. It's enormous. And it has a large turntable in the middle. One of the routines I performed required the turntable to move. That was fun. You had to grip yourself when it got started."

Meaningful moments include her opening show, Naar-Saladino said. "It was so exciting to perform in a theater with so much history and beauty and also to dance on what was called 'The Great Stage.' And to have my childhood dream come true."

And, she added, being a Rockette imparted lifelong lessons forever etched in her heart — and a love of dance she continues to impart today, to those who find rhythm and magic in the movement of their hands.

To anyone who dreams of dance, no matter their age or physical limitationss, Naar-Saladino has a message: "Follow your dream and don't give up. I didn't."