Spencer Gee's take on Tai Chi helps those with Parkinson's

A Roslyn man is helping heal people with Parkinson’s disease through his unique brand of tai chi.

Spencer Gee said he has worked with hundreds of individuals with the progressive neurological disorder, improving their balance and coordination through the martial art, which incorporates controlled breathing, slow movements and meditation. Gee’s version, adds boxing and dancing elements to make the mind-body exercise “more fun and exciting,” he said.

Gee shared his thoughts on Tai Chi’s importance and demonstrated his style of the martial art — which he calls “Gee Tai Chi” — during the National Qigong Association’s 2025 Annual Conference last month in Virginia.

“People usually associate tai chi with senior citizens who practice in the parks,” said Gee, 65. “I spiced it up a little bit and upgraded, rebooted and reimagined it, so it’s fun like most exercise classes.”

Gee’s journey with martial arts started at age 12 when he studied kenpo while growing up in California and continued as a student at the University of Southern California, where he encountered the martial arts of qigong, tai chi and wushu.

He began assisting individuals with Parkinson’s when he created a new program at the New York Institute of Technology about 15 years ago. To make the lessons more engaging, he used props such as plush animal toys to illustrate movements like “carry tiger” and “grasp the sparrow’s tail,” he said.

“When students have a prop in their hands, it helps them connect to the moving so they can remember it,” Gee said.

Lorraine Fields, who has taken Gee’s classes for the past three years at the Wyndham condominiums in Garden City, said he is an example of “how one person’s vision and dedication can uplift an entire community.”

“His students consistently describe him as life-changing — not only improving their physical health, but inspiring them to approach life’s challenges with courage and balance,” she said.

Gee teaches at 12 locations across Long Island — including the Glen Cove Senior Center and the Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay, which he said offers his classes for a small donation — and is a personal trainer at Functional Fitness Forever in Roslyn. He has also been an adjunct professor at Hofstra University in Hempstead, where he has taught martial arts and self-defense, since 1996.

Harry Farides, 74, of Medford, was diagnosed 18 months ago with Parkinson’s and has attended Gee’s classes nearly a dozen times at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook. He said Gee’s class is a “step beyond” standard tai chi.

“It’s more engaging than just doing the moves over and over,” Farides said.

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By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.