More research is still needed into this area of therapy but a study1 published in 2007 at Washington University in St. Louis, USA compared the effects on mobility of 20 one-hour Argentine tango lessons in relation to the same number of exercise or strengthening classes in 19 people with Parkinson’s.
The dance lessons included stretching and balance exercises, tango-style walking, footwork and dance with and without a partner. The exercise classes included seated exercises, followed by standing exercises with chair support, core strengthening and stretching.
Both groups showed significant improvements in functional mobility using standardised tests but those in the tango group showed more improvement in balance. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings but it does suggest that dance can be beneficial to people with Parkinson’s.
While dance in general may help in many ways, including overall quality of life and social integration, certain tango movement may be particularly helpful to balance, turning, initiation of movement, moving at different speeds and walking backwards.
