The UpTic

(Tic)kled: Self-Acceptance and Self-Expression Through Dance

• New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders • Season 2 • Episode 33

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In this episode, I sit down with dancer, choreographer, and advocate Marissa Lazovick for a heart-centered conversation that moves through performance, diagnosis, and the power of self-expression. Marissa shares how her journey with Tourette Syndrome has intersected with her passion for dance, leading to the creation of her powerful solo piece, "(Tic)kled." We talk about what it really means to advocate for yourself, to be understood, and to turn something challenging into something beautifully human.

Marissa opens up about everything from being diagnosed in middle school to coping with tics in college life, and how dancing—not just physically, but emotionally—has helped her find a rhythm in the chaos. Her perspective on inclusivity, mental health, and self-acceptance is honest, wise, and inspiring. 

Marissa is a New Jersey native, now a first year at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, majoring in Dance. A dancer since age 5, Marissa recently choreographed and danced to a piece about her Tourette experience, titled, "(Tic)kled. She is also an American Sign Language (ASL) instructor.

 

Episode Highlights:

[1:33] Meet Marissa — a New Jersey native, dancer, and ASL instructor with a powerful story.
[2:46] The inspiration and emotional arc behind her dance piece, "(Tic)kled".
[5:20] Performing across the country and sparking conversations about TS through art.
[7:40] Getting diagnosed and the emotional release that came with finally having a name.
[10:17] How school accommodations and support systems made a real difference.
[12:51] Coping with an uptick in tics during college — what’s helping, and what isn’t.
[16:59] Why painting, movement, and solo dorm living are part of Marissa’s self-care.
[19:09] From competition dance to choreography—how performance has evolved for her.
[22:17] Teaching dance as a form of emotional storytelling and empowerment.
[24:56] Finding community through NJCTS and connecting with others who "get it".
[27:20] Marissa’s definition of inclusivity—and how it shows up in her life and work.
[30:07] Her lifelong connection to volunteering, including ASL education for young kids.
[35:38] Advice for others with TS: take it slow, speak up, and know you’re more than a label.

 

Links & Resources:

Remember, each story shared on this podcast brings light and understanding to the diverse experiences within the Tourette's community. Your journey is your own, and it's filled with potential and promise. If this episode resonated with you, I encourage you to like, share, and leave a review to help us connect with more listeners.

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Michael Leopold:

Thank you for tuning in to the uptick before we dive into today's episode, I have a quick announcement from our team here at njcts on Saturday May 17, NJ walks for TS will be gathering at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater New Jersey. The check in is from nine to 10, and the event goes until 1pm whether you plan to walk with us, participate in the family activities we've planned, or simply reconnect with others in the TS community, we hope you'll join us. You can start a team, join a team and make a donation to help us meet our goal of raising $75,000 again, The walk will be on Saturday May 17, at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater. You can learn more on njcts.org and clicking on NJ walks for Ts.

Marissa Lazovick:

I always love to say this, what describes you as a person does not define you. And so because my Tourette's is something that describes me, it's not something that defines me as a person like I am still a dancer. I'm a college student, and so I love to talk about this piece, because we deal with our tics in all different ways. It's so cool to be able to share about some of the things that I've needed to help me along the way, which, even though we deal with our tics in different ways, we actually very similarly can struggle with the same things.

Michael Leopold:

Welcome to the uptick brought to you by The New Jersey Center for Tourette syndrome and associated disorders, empowering children and adults through education, advocacy and research, by sharing the stories and experiences relevant to the TS community. Welcome back to the uptick. Today, I'm speaking with Marissa lazavic. Marissa is a New Jersey native now at the Boston Conservatory at Berkeley, majoring in dance. She's a seasoned and talented dancer. She's actually been dancing since age five. She is also an ASL American Sign Language Instructor. Marissa choreographed and danced to a piece about her own Tourette Syndrome experience. The piece is titled tickled, t i c in parentheses like a tick, and it showcases her journey with Tourette Syndrome through her art. Really a privilege to speak with you today. Marissa, how's your day going?

Marissa Lazovick:

It is going great. I want to be here. We're excited

Michael Leopold:

to have you. I want to start with the piece you made tickled, and I'd love to hear you walk through with our listeners. Kind of what inspired you to put that piece together? Yeah, so

Marissa Lazovick:

I have always wanted to use dance as an outlet to express how I'm feeling, my emotions, my stories in life, and so Tourette's being something so important to me, and in part of my life, I used dance as an outlet to share my story. And so I started with a piece of music that I enjoyed. It's instrumental, and I sat down with one of my friends, and we incorporated the word tick, T, i, c, throughout the entire song. And at first it started slower, and it slowly grew. And then once the piece of music switched to a more light, uplifting vibe, then the tics got quieter. And it was to show kind of my acceptance. So in the beginning of the piece, it was when I didn't really understand what my tics were, why they were happening, how I was going to deal with them, and then towards the end of the piece, it shows my acceptance for them and my understanding for them. And so I actually took some of my tics in real life and just morphed them into what I thought the dance move of them would be, and then put them throughout the entire piece. Yeah,

Michael Leopold:

it's really beautifully put together. I mean, I and there's so much like meaning in it. I've watched it a few times, and each time, I kind of noticed some other like thing that you put into it, like how I felt, like at the beginning. This could just be my interpretation of it, but the beginning, the tics were more like sudden jarring. They were kind of asynchronous with the dancing you were doing by the end, they were more like, I don't want to say natural, but like, woven into kind of your dance, like, it was another way of showing acceptance. It was like the tics are just kind of, they're not this, like, separate, distinct, jarring thing happening. They're just more like a part of your dancing motions. And I thought that was a beautiful way of showcasing the acceptance part of your story, what? What's the reception of the the piece been like. It

Marissa Lazovick:

has been great. I have gotten so many questions about my tics and how I've dealt with them between school and dance, and so it's been really nice to be able to share my story with it, because obviously we all deal with it. In different ways, and so it's been super cool to share about how I advocate for myself and some some of the things that I need to do to help me be successful. So it's been really nice.

Michael Leopold:

That's excellent, and you've had the opportunity to do the piece for different audiences. Is that right? Like different performances? Yes.

Marissa Lazovick:

So I actually received a scholarship from it's called nhsda National Honor Society dance arts. And it's this organization that my performing arts high school had, and I won a scholarship through them for college, and a part of that was academics, volunteer work, and then a self choreographed solo. And so that's actually the reason why I first choreographed this. But then I so grateful I won the scholarship, and so I was able to fly out to Seattle, Washington and perform that for hundreds of dance educators and talk about the piece, which was so awesome. Wow. And

Michael Leopold:

have you found it's opened up more of a dialog around Tourette? I mean, you've asked you said people are asking you questions about it, about Tourette. What's that been like for you? Are they you feel you're using that piece to educate about Tourette?

Marissa Lazovick:

Definitely, I always love to say this, what describes you as a person does not define you. And so because my Tourette's is something that describes me, it's not something that defines me as a person, like I am still a dancer, I'm a college student. And so I love to talk about this piece, because we deal with our tics in all different ways. It's so cool to be able to share about some of the things that I've needed to help me along the way, which, even though we deal with our tics in different ways, we actually very similarly, can struggle with the same things. And so I was able to share about why it's so important to just take a second to talk to your students about maybe some of the things they're struggling with, and how you are able to help them become successful, whether it's in school or in dance or anything like that. And so I think it's so important, because you never really know what everyone's going through, and so just taking a second to understand what they might need to help them be successful in whatever they're pursuing is so important. So I was able to share that through my journey with Tourette's, which was awesome. Well, put

Michael Leopold:

I'm so glad you had that experience. Let's talk about when your tic started. So I think you've told me before, you're around age five or so, and then you got diagnosed number of years later, around like middle school. Do you want to walk me through what that was like?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, so age five, and then in seventh grade, I was diagnosed with Tourette's. I didn't really understand what it was at first, why I was doing all these uncontrollable sounds and movements. And so being diagnosed, it almost felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders, because then I was able to understand why I was doing these things and how I could move forward to help myself be successful. And so it almost felt nice, because then I was able to truly dive into okay, this is what I'm going through. This is how I'm going to adapt to it. And so it was scary a little bit, but I was struggling with all these different things, and so it was nice to be like, Okay, now I'm going to learn about it and move forward. How

Michael Leopold:

did the diagnosis piece come along? Did your did your kicks increase? Were you just experiencing challenges in school and otherwise? Or, like, we need to figure out what's going on, or how did that come about?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, I think it was more just my tics were escalating, and then it started affecting my schoolwork. And so we went to a doctor, and they just diagnosed me. It's

Michael Leopold:

wonderful that you Yeah, did you have, did you have the experience of, like, going from doctor to doctor and getting different, you know, misdiagnosed or not even that, just like, not knowing what it was, or was it a very straightforward, like, pretty seamless process for you

Marissa Lazovick:

as what I remember, it was pretty straightforward, yeah, I went to, I think my like, pediatrician just mentioned something to my parents. We went to a neurologist, and they just diagnosed me. Yeah, love

Michael Leopold:

to hear that a lot of us have, like, a and I think this is getting better if you find the right doctor early on. Who knows about trip like, for me, it was the pediatrician and the ear nose and throat doctor, some specialists at Chicago, rolling out, like, other neurological stuff. I had a concussion at age two. Oh, is that causing it? I Oh, yeah. I remember going to the ear nose and throat doctor because I had some sniffling tics. And they thought, I mean, there's something in your sinuses. And, you know, eventually I remember, for the longest time, I was classified as, like, what they say possible Tourette, or I had tics. They would say, like, Okay, you definitely have some kind of tics. And then I went, you know, took over a year or so, and then got that official diagnosis, when they ruled out everything else. But happy to hear your experience was, you know, you had doctors that knew what they were doing. That knew about the threat label and what to look for, and that you were able to get that, you know, without too much trouble. Once you got the diagnosis, what was that like? Did you disclose to your friends? Did Did you notice any big changes in school? Or was it more just life as usual? I just have a name for it. Yeah,

Marissa Lazovick:

so I actually now I'm thinking about I so I was diagnosed with anxiety first, and then came along ADHD, OCD and Tourette's. And so in school, I already had a 504 so it was which is five four, which is something that allows you to have accommodations. So some of the accommodations I had were extra time on test because I'm ticking and so and things like that, and so in the school aspect of it, it wasn't too too difficult. I just added Tourette's to the 504 and some of the extra accommodations I was going to need. In terms of my friends and family, I feel like my family noticed it before it was diagnosed. So it wasn't too big of a surprise. They were noticing my tics, and in terms of dance, so when I dance, I don't actually tick. I tick during rehearsals, but when I'm during a performance or on stage or anything like that, I don't, and which is so interesting to me, because my mind is so focused on something else, that my tics don't occur. And so I actually walked in to my studio that I was currently at, and I had a discussion with my director, and she allowed me to sit down with my entire team and share about my diagnosis and what the tics were for me and how I wanted to move forward, just because I felt that it would make me feel more comfortable in my surroundings. And so while I was very nervous to share, I was probably is seventh 30th grade that I did this. So like right after my diagnosis, it definitely helped moving forward, because rather than I have a sniffling tick, and rather than hearing always, Oh, do you need a tissue? Are you sick? It was just now they understood, you know, some of the takes that I was having and that I was completely okay. It was just something that was going to happen.

Michael Leopold:

Definitely empowering. You know, as difficult as it can be to disclose, especially to a larger audience like that, all your dance mates at once, I think you know, longer term, you appreciate it when they're not asking, yeah, offering you a tissue every time, or looking at you or just wondering, you know what it is. So sometimes it's, uh, yeah, great to jump on those opportunities and really own own what you've got makes things easier down the road. You've mentioned that in recent months or so, maybe years or months, your ticks have have been increasing. What has that been like? And have you found that now, in early adulthood, you're you're getting new coping techniques or doing anything differently to try to handle that. Or do you find that you are already well prepared for that increase in tics that you've been having?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, so I was not expecting it, honestly, but my tics have gotten a lot worse over the past few months, starting freshman year of college, because I was experiencing a lot of excited stress, nervous stress, all at the same time, and so my tics escalated a lot, and that was really hard for me. I've tried c bit. It didn't really work out for me. And then as I got older, my schedule got a lot more busy, so I wasn't able to truly focus on that. I've tried a bunch of different medications. None of them really helped me in the way that I needed. I was getting very tired from them, and so I kind of just learned to deal with them. And then over the past few months, they got really bad again. So I've been working on whether it's painting, I love to paint, I love to draw, just going to the studio to improv, listening to music, stuff like that, I thought has really helped me, as well as just taking deep breaths. Just, yeah, nice, nice, long, deep breaths. Yeah.

Michael Leopold:

Breathing is can. Can help a lot of people you know, you find kind of what works for you. I know people who say that. Actually, I think it was the episode right before yours, we had a guest Emily on who said that, like, some of the deep breathing stuff actually kind of triggers her ticks, because you become focused on your body, and then you and then you're like, oh, I have ticks. And now I'm thinking in my body, oh, I'm gonna, what is that? I feel a little I feel a little tickle. Let me. Let me do that tick to get rid of the tickle, it and all of that stuff. But for me, for example, breathing is great and and I find, you know, you can kind of breathe in thirds, or the like, triangular breathing and stuff, yep, or the progressive muscle, you know, focus, like lying, focusing on your breathing and then going, kind of muscle group by muscle group throughout your body. How does it feel? What's the sensation focusing on it? I mean, there's so many of those grounding meditative techniques, and I think it's a matter of, like, trying a bunch of them, and then seeing what, what works the most for you, you know, and then, and then, for me, the hardest part is just implementing that into my life in a regular way, where it's, you know, it's not like, oh, I need to go do some meditation. It's ideally, you set aside that time each day to do that, and you weave it in your life naturally. But no finding what works for you is is so key. I also love to hear that your your tics disappear when you're when you're dancing. I think it's so crucial for for young people to find those activities, whatever they are, where your tics subside. You know, not because there's anything wrong with tics, but because we need to to have some some mastery over it. And sometimes tics are painful, sometimes they're embarrassing, sometimes they're just awkward for us to do. Sometimes they're frustrating, and it's nice when we have those activities we know we can go to in those moments to to alleviate our tics. You know, for me, right, talking, speaking, public, speaking. For other people, it's, you know, playing an instrument, or listening to music or or what some kind of art. What kinds of painting Do you like to do in drawing? Oh,

Marissa Lazovick:

I just, I actually just look up, recently, I've been doing animals, and so I just look up a sketch of an animal, I will copy it onto like my canvas, and then I'll just paint it in whatever colors i i Like almost I usually, after a long day of dance, like to come back to my room and just sit down for about an hour and Just paint and listen to music or put a TV show on in the background and just focus on that, yeah?

Michael Leopold:

And I want to highlight to our listeners what you mean by a long day of dance. You were telling me what it's like nine to four or something. Yeah,

Marissa Lazovick:

yeah, nine to four. And then usually my academic class after for about an hour and a half. And then finally I get to come back to my room. Wow.

Michael Leopold:

What do you do for your body when you're dancing that much? Do you do you benefit from, like, massages, from baths, from or is this just not an issue? Are you just like you can do that much dancing every day and day out, definitely

Marissa Lazovick:

a nice warm up, for sure. Every morning we have a ballet class, and that definitely helps starting out slow and then at night, just a lot of icing, using my massage gun, like self massaging, and then probably just like a nice hot shower. Yeah,

Michael Leopold:

no, that makes a lot of sense. I could see it being very can flare up muscles and stuff very easily. Do you find when you come home after a day of dancing, the ticks tend to get worse? Is that when they come out?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, I definitely found and when I was younger, too, I was in school, and I naturally tried to hold in my tics and not do them. And so when I the second I got home, around my family, where I felt super comfortable, all of my tics would just come out and explode. And so I find that here too, the second I get back to my room, it's just a lot of my ticks come out, which is why I find it helpful to paint for an hour do something that might help just relax me to hopefully bring down the level of ticks. Because, like you said, I'm not ashamed of having ticks, but sometimes it can get really hard to handle, as well as some of the tics are very painful, and so just finding that thing that helps my tics calm down for a second is really helpful.

Michael Leopold:

Makes a lot of sense. And you're, I don't know if you have roommates or or like living mates or any in that sense, but are they all have you. You've spoken to each of them about your your co occurring conditions and your tics.

Marissa Lazovick:

So I actually live in a single for the reason of when I get home from a long day, my ticks completely just come out. And so having that space alone has been very helpful, because I hold them in during the day, and then when I come home, they just all release. And so having that space to take a second by myself has has been very helpful. But my No, yeah, all my, all my close friends, uh, no, I found it easier to just tell them right away, rather than hold it in, because then it just makes me feel more comfortable around them. And just, hey, I have Tourette's. This is, you know what I what you might see me doing or might hear and that's just what it is. It's very

Michael Leopold:

freeing. It allows you to be yourself when the people around you know what you've got, and so you're not trying to, yeah, put on a mask as much, or any of that stuff. You can just kind of not worry about it. But that's great. Are there dancing competitions coming up that you're preparing for or paint kind of like what the world of dancing, competitive dancing, looks like for us. So what you're in school right now, training to be a dancer nine to four plus, you know you're, you're doing this stuff. Are, do you have, like, regular competitions? You you compete at or, or am I mischaracterizing it?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah. So I used to be a competition dancer from probably grade, probably kindergarten through, uh, 12th grade in senior year in high school. So I split my time. I would have my academic classes in the morning at my public high school, and then in the afternoon, I would drive over, get bused over to my performing arts high school, where I would dance there for about two and a half hours. And then I would go to my competition studio at nighttime and train there. And so we had, I've had lots of competitions, usually on the weekends. This would be right around competition season, actually. And so my younger sister is a competitive dancer, so she's a sophomore in high school, so I love going to support her. She's absolutely amazing. But so now I am, rather than preparing for competitions, I'm preparing for performances. Is. And so we had a performance last semester, and that went phenomenally. I loved performing on the stage. And then this semester, right now, I am in the middle of the rehearsal process creating a new piece.

Michael Leopold:

Ooh, can you give us any sneak peeks on it or not yet, it's

Marissa Lazovick:

so excited. We are actually this piece will be performed at my school, but then also hopefully taken to Tanglewood to be performed there, which will be super fun. But there's 10 of us in the piece, two boys, eight girls, and we are just creating this piece off of scratch with our choreographer, and so it's been super fun. Yes,

Michael Leopold:

you also do a lot of choreography work in addition to dancing, as you know, many dancers do. What are your thoughts on choreography? Do you is that something you just naturally developed as as you were dancing a lot and kind of, or, um, you know, I'm curious to hear how your artistic expression comes out in choreography.

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, I love choreography. I love to teach. I love to choreograph. I've been teaching since probably sixth or seventh grade middle school, and then just it increased as I got older, as well as choreography, I find it so interesting because I'm in a choreography class right now in school, and all of us could be given the same music or the same concept, but we all will choreograph it in all different ways. So we all see in our heads in a different way. And so for me, choreography has always, I guess, come naturally. I love to express myself through my choreography. And so I personally love first finding a piece of music, and then once I'm able to connect with that piece of music, expressing myself through the movement, which is super awesome. But I've recently choreographed on college students that I'm in school with, which has been awesome. They're so talented. But I've also choreographed at Summer Arts camps ages five through 20. Yeah, yeah, you said

Michael Leopold:

there's a there's been some like kind of summer camp type dance stuff you've done where you are, are working with you, with youth, and teaching them how to dance, and all of that and that that's been really fulfilling. Sounds like teaching dance and choreography will always be a part of your life and something very, very core to you definitely.

Marissa Lazovick:

I I love teaching dance for two reasons. One, I love dance with all my heart, but I also love teaching dance because I feel like it's such an outlet to express yourself, and once you're able to find that, it could help you almost say what you want to say without actually having to say it. You're saying it through your movement. And so I just love working with all different ages, because whether it's jazz dance and it's super fun and uplifting, or it's a piece that I like tickled, where it's more emotional, I'm able to express myself like that. It's it's super awesome.

Michael Leopold:

You mentioned your sister a couple times. I What's it like? Going back to the topic of ticks and Tourette and CO occurring conditions in the family, what was the family dynamic like when, when your tics were going on, you're getting diagnosed? Curious to hear about about that, how, how that kind of work within your family.

Marissa Lazovick:

They are the most supportive people ever in terms of my parents. First, they are both educators, and so it was super helpful to have them, because they were able to teach me about advocating for myself and speaking up for myself, but also just being understanding of other people. You know. You never know what anyone else around you is going through. And so that was super helpful. My mom works at a school which is K through eight, and so I actually have gone in and shared tickled with the students and talked about Tourettes, and you know what the piece is about, which was amazing. And then in terms of my sister, she is one of the best people I have ever met in my entire life. I could not be more grateful to have her by my side. We have danced together since the beginning. We have duets every year, which has been amazing. It was actually super sad last year, before I graduated for college, doing our last duet together. I have always felt super comfortable around her. So after the diagnosis, it was just something I worked on myself, but also had her by my side to be able to explain to her what I was going through or how I felt, if I was extra tired some days, or if I was extra aggravated because I was ticking a lot. And so as I got older, there have been some moments where I had to take a second, take a deep breath while I'm talking to tick or something like that. And so she's kind of just been right there by my side, accepting and, you know, just taking it super slow with me, which is awesome, but she just makes me want to be a better person. Oh, yeah, wonderful to hear. She's awesome. Have

Michael Leopold:

you had opportunities to meet other people with Ts, yeah.

Marissa Lazovick:

So that's definitely something I want to. Explore more now that I've learned a lot more about Ts, I recently received a scholarship through njcts, which was super cool, and I got to go to a lunch and share tickled and talk about it. And there I met some people with Ts, which was super nice to have a conversation with them, because it's something we're able to relate on. And I'm able to share like, oh, this tick is really tiring, you know, sometimes this gets really hard, and I'm able to have that nice conversation relatable with them. And so yes, that's been super nice, but that's definitely something I want to continue, which is finding that community of people that have Ts, because it's super nice talking about it with people who are willing to listen understand. But I feel it's different finding those people with Ts that are able to truly relate to you about, you know, how you're feeling,

Michael Leopold:

yeah, like they get it. They can really, you know, the sympathy there, because they they've gone through it themselves. Well, there's no shortage of those communities, which is great. Any through njcts, many through, you know, there's groups online that meet virtually. There's other tread organizations. A little bit harder, if you're in a rural area, you may rely a little more on virtual groups, but I find, I mean, you're in Boston, so definitely a city there. So you'll, you'll find those groups. But Ng, CTS also has a number of them, like community connections and stuff that that are groups that meet, you know, at least monthly or so, and then we have some for parents too, parents of kids that are diagnosed. And it's helpful, because it's that community. You can get tips and advice, but also just people you can talk to about life, stuff like who you know it doesn't always have to be about Tourette. You can just become friends and people that you know we lean on in other ways and you know, and get to know better. So definitely encourage everyone out there, you know, listening to make sure you find your community, your tribe, your people, your you know, your group. And it's, it's so crucial, and just you know wherever you're at in life, whether you're a kid going through this, you're a parent who has it, or parent whose kid was just diagnosed, and then you realize you actually have some symptoms that were never diagnosed. You know, whatever, there's a place for you, and you know, it can be very meaningful and just fulfilling to, you know, to grow in those communities. You mentioned a lot about, like, inclusivity and as kind of a broader theme that that's come up in your life. And just one of the things you're passionate about and care about, curious to hear how you define inclusivity and sort of what that means to you.

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, because of my parents, they are big on volunteering, and so I've been doing it my entire life, and just learning about all different types of people. And I think being inclusive is so important, because I feel everyone could be successful and be their best self as long as they're given the tools to allow them to do that. And so for me, being inclusive is taking a second to understand a person, you know, who, who is Marissa, and how is she going to be successful, and what are the things she enjoys? And, you know, how can I relate to her, and so I feel being inclusive is so important because it makes everyone feel heard and understood. And I don't know, just being kind to one another, I feel like is so important, especially coming from such a like diverse college and where I grew up, it's something that's been so important to me.

Michael Leopold:

Definitely, the world could use more kindness, and you know, at all times. And yeah, what's the transition like moving to Boston? How do you like it there?

Marissa Lazovick:

It is awesome. I love it so much. Our dance studios here are actually open until two in the morning, so you could just go dance with friends, go and choreograph whenever you want. I guess our campus is the city, which is awesome. So some of our studio spaces are, like, a 15 minute walk. Some of them are right outside my building. And so it's been awesome. Been able to see the city a little bit, go on bike rides, stuff like that. It's it's been so fun. That's

Michael Leopold:

excellent. Is your family had a chance to go visit you up there. Do they do they do, like, a Parents Weekend or something?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yes, definitely Parents Weekend. And then they came to see my show. Oh yeah, wow.

Michael Leopold:

Do you guys ever do shows in other places? Are most of the shows in Boston. Most

Marissa Lazovick:

of the shows are in Boston, and we have, like, our main stage here, and so all of our shows are performed there. So

Michael Leopold:

what's the plan for you? You'll, you'll get your degree in, what, about three years or so, and then what's what, if you could do anything, I assume you'll still be dancing. You'll still be teaching dance and choreography, whatever. What are some of the goals you have that you've set out? Yeah,

Marissa Lazovick:

I would definitely love to perform at first, whether it's in a company, whether it's a background dancing, anything like that. But then I think the end goal would definitely be to teach and choreograph. Whether it's younger students, college students, I don't really know yet, but just to teach and choreograph is definitely, definitely the goal.

Michael Leopold:

Yeah, lots of places you can do that, lots of cities and dancing companies and all of that for that, which is great. Yeah, yeah. Uh, would also love to hear a little more about volunteering, and some of the earlier volunteering stuff you got into that, you know, your parents instilled in you as a as a kid, yeah.

Marissa Lazovick:

So some of the volunteer work I've done is we do walks every year. My great grandmother had Alzheimer's, and so we would always go to the Alzheimer's walks. I have always attended the Special Olympics opening night, which was super fun. So during that day, we would go to some conferences and hear from all different types of people, and then we would play bocce with my mom's play unified group from our high school, and then go to the opening ceremony at night, which is so much fun. We would go to food banks. Yeah, I've, I've done a fair share of volunteering, which I love, and I really, I hope to continue that. That's

Michael Leopold:

excellent. You still, you still are involved in that space to the extent you have time. I mean, I'm, you're clearly a very busy student and dancer, but is it something you still try to keep up with?

Marissa Lazovick:

Yeah, definitely. I love to go to my mom's school and volunteer there in terms of American Sign Language. So I never could really pick up on Spanish or French. I don't know why. It just never stuck with me. And so in high school, freshman year, I was introduced to the American Sign Language class, and I fell in love with it. It was like choreography for my hands. It's such an expressive language. And so I took to that, and I continued it through my senior year of high school. I received my seal by literacy, which means I'm bilingual in English and American Sign Language. And so I volunteered at my mom's school each Friday over zoom with grades first through fifth, and so I taught basic signs, as well as discussed inclusivity and kindness towards all people, because I feel that even just learning a few signs, maybe how to finger spell your name or how to introduce yourself, or how to ask someone how they're doing, it's going to make them feel that much more in included and comfortable in their space. So that was super fun. But I love to volunteer there and just teach, teach basic signs and stuff like that.

Michael Leopold:

I always wish more people knew sign language. I wish I had taken it. I felt like I struggled through, you know, five years of German, of German, eighth grade through senior year high school. I tried Portuguese. In college, we had a foreign language requirement. I was like, Oh, I'll try something completely different. I struggled with both. And I consider myself a pretty decent English speaker, but learning. And I love reading and writing and stuff, but learning foreign languages was so difficult for me. I even got symptoms of like echolalia and palalia that I've never had in any other context, like my professor would say something in Portuguese. And I had this little like rule in my head, and I call it that because it felt like a tick. I had to repeat what she said, like, whisper it as best I could, and then my brain could process it, like, and sometimes I'd have to, like, repeat it multiple times, like, whatever she's and I had all these like, strange symptoms that I've just never had before. And and in a it just beyond that, just like as an adult, you know, it's harder to learn a language, but I always wish that I had just, like, done something like ASL in college, or if they had offered in my high school, I would have done that. Also. It's just such a great language to know for being an ally to neurodiversion community and for people with disabilities, it's like our kind of language in a way. So I love that you've learned that, do you have people in your life, not in a teaching capacity, but like friends that also know ASL, that you can just sign to? Or do you find it's just a it's an uncommon thing, not many people know it. So

Marissa Lazovick:

my my sister actually knows American Sign Language as well, which is super fun, because sometimes we'll have a secret conversation with parents. And yeah, they, they won't know her.

Michael Leopold:

They know just you and your your sister, Dale, yeah, my, my dad

Marissa Lazovick:

knows a little bit we we've taught him a little bit, so he knows some signs, but my mom doesn't really know sign language, and my sister and I are fluent in it, so it's been very fun to communicate with each other. The one

Michael Leopold:

secret, like, selfish reason I want to learn another language is so that I can be out in public with like, a friend or partner or like, whatever, and we can, like, communicate to each other. Oh, I'm really frustrated or something, and not have the people around us know what we're saying. I just think exactly that'd be so fun, and feel so like, you know, mischievous and whatever I don't know. So I would love to, yeah, be fluent in another language like that, and have them also know it, and a friend or someone, and that would be fun. But do you have actually, on this note, any languages are so difficult to learn, ASL included? Are there any great online resources you can recommend for people that are trying to learn

Marissa Lazovick:

that is a great question. I was very fortunate because I started my high school, freshman, sophomore and junior year at one school, and then I transferred my senior year to a different high school, and both of those high schools offered American Sign. Language. So it was easier for me in terms of learning it, because I had teachers right there to help me. So I haven't really needed something else. But I definitely do know there are apps that could be very helpful. I'm unfortunately blanking on the names of them, but if you wanted to expose yourself to sign language, I definitely think, I mean, the internet has everything these days. So definitely, yeah, finding that,

Michael Leopold:

no, it makes sense. And Marissa, when you think about tips or advice for other people with with Tourette or CO occurring conditions, anything in particular come to mind that you would tell like a young person who's just been diagnosed.

Marissa Lazovick:

Um, yeah. I mean, I said it before, but I just, I love the idea of what discourage you doesn't define you. While I am not ashamed of my tics, at first, it was really hard for me to talk about because I didn't truly understand it yet, and so I would just say, take it slow. Take it day by day. Because my tics changed constantly. My ticks, my tick level escalated, they lowered. I've had all different types of ticks, and so just taking it day by day certainly helps. But I think that when it is needed, when it is time for you to advocate for yourself, don't be afraid to, because it was if I did not do that, I don't think I would have been as successful as I was in in schooling, now in college, and so I think that is super important. But just being I wasn't the most accepting to change, and so it was very confusing and hard for me. And so just taking it day by day and understanding that, you know, they're going to be changes. You're going to have to adapt and advocate for yourself in all different situations. But like I said, my, you know, when I introduce myself to someone, I don't say, Hi, I have Tourette's. My name is Marissa. I'm a dancer. I'm in college. I say, Hi, my name is Marissa. I'm a dancer as well as I have, I have Ts, yeah, that's

Michael Leopold:

another part, another part of you. But that should not be, you know, the way I always thought of it was like, if my friends or people around me who know me are listing out like, the top five things about me, I would hope Tourette wouldn't be on that list. Now, there are people who might say, No, my trend is actually pretty prominent. It's part of my personality. I'm a comedian. I weave it into all my jokes, whatever. That's their story for me. I'm like, Yeah, you know, maybe the top 10 you could label Tourette's, but I definitely wouldn't want it in the top five. Like, the thing, think of when you think of Michael, but, you know, I yeah, there's so many other things that make us who we are. We're all just like, you know, a rainbow of our identities and traits and attributes, everything about us that, that we do, who we are, that you know unless, like, there's no reason for Tourette to be one of those, unless you know that is a big part of your life and you've made it that, I think, you know, we can lead with the other traits that we have and let those shine

Marissa Lazovick:

Exactly. Yeah, it can. It. Of course could be, you know, big part of it, whether you're an advocate anything like that, but those other things that described you as a person, I think are super important, absolutely.

Michael Leopold:

Well, Marissa, it's been excellent having you on the uptick. We're gonna put a link to tickled her piece she made about her journey with Ts. I'll put that in the notes for this episode. So any of our listeners out here who want to see that can find it and take a watch. But that's about it. Though, Marc, been excellent having you on the uptick. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day

Marissa Lazovick:

here. Thank you so much. You too.

Michael Leopold:

Thank you for listening to the uptick, brought to you by The New Jersey Center for Tourette syndrome and associated disorders, empowering you to stretch the boundaries to live your best life. You

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