Dance
Studies & Results
Study 1
A 12-month tango program study for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients conducted at Washington University in St Louis found significant improvements in disease severity, balance, and gait in the Tango group compared to the Control group. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months, with 50% of participants discontinuing the program due to unrelated medical conditions. The Mini-BESTest and Freezing of Gait Questionnaire showed positive outcomes in the Tango group.
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Study 2
A study done in Queensland with 17 PD patients attending biweekly dance classes for 12 weeks demonstrated an increase in overall mood and a 24.43 point reduction in their total MDS-UPDRS. This decrease demonstrates patients’ improvements of whole body coordination which in turn boosted patients’ gait, tremors, and balance after attending regular dance classes.
The ambiance of supportive individuals encouraged social interactions and participation of new dance movements; this resulted in improved emotional wellbeing by decreasing depression symptoms, anxiety, and quality of life. These results were monitored with the use of the HADS depression score to test for depression symptoms, PDQ-39 which measures quality of life, as well as the MDS-UPDRS part 1 which surveys many emotional health that may be impacted by PD.
Study 3
A Brazilian study with 13 PD patients applied the “Baila Parkinson” method in their biweekly, 6 month dance therapy sessions to understand if incorporating various types of dance movements could generate positive results; the “Baila Parkinson” method focuses on the the utilization of seven dance types and gradual movements based on the participant's stage of PD. Based on the MADRS, participants experienced an estimated 23% decrease in depressive symptoms from regularly attending classes. These classes avoided sedentary lifestyles which can aggravate these symptoms, and the combination of music and dance increased systems in the brain responsible for releasing dopamine and serotonin to the body.
Resources
Below are some resources for dance therapy found both online and in the Gainesville area
Gainesville
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University of Florida Dance for Life
Online
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Dance For Parkinsons
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American Dance Therapy Association
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Parkinson’s Movement Dance Initiative (AmericanDanceFestival)
