Arizona ABC 15
by Nohelani Graf

An Arizona Flamenco troop has been putting on shows for years at Mayo Clinic events. They do a bit of audience participation, teaching a series of clapping rhythms and helping the audience fumble through the coordination of using castanets, a traditional Spanish instrument that makes a "clacking" sound…Recreation therapists at Mayo Clinic say many of their patients don't consider themselves dancers but that often helps them approach the lessons with a more relaxed attitude and they're able to laugh at themselves, leading to emotional and physical gains. "With a defective side, if they had a stroke and they're able to move it, they're exercising and doing those things that the therapists are working on and they don't even realize they're doing it," said Recreation Therapist Carol Graziano. "I think that's the magic of the program. It's something fun and takes their mind away from their illness."

Reach: KNXV-TV, ABC 15, is the ABC television station affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona.

Context: The Center for Humanities in Medicine supports Mayo Clinic’s primary value, the needs of the patient come first, by integrating the arts and other expressions of human culture into the healing environment.

Contact: Jim McVeigh

Tags: ABC15 Arizona, Carol Graziano, Flamenco, Mayo Clinic, therapeutic movement, Uncategorized