Dance Against Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons, which leads to tremors and difficulty with movement and walking.  Those with PD also can experience depression, fatigue, and cognitive decline.  Silvia Rios Romenets, from McGill University (Canada), and colleagues enrolled a group of men and women with idiopathic PD, 18 of whom engaged in 12 weeks of studio classes of the Argentine tango conducted by  professional dance teachers; and 15 of whom conducted self-directed exercise (control group). Among the dance class group, whereas there was no benefit of tango on motor severity, it did improve balance.   As well, those participants in the dance class experienced improvements on cognition and fatigue, as well as improved overall satisfaction and enjoyment.  The study authors report that: “Argentine tango can improve balance, and functional mobility, and may have modest benefits upon cognition and fatigue in Parkinson’s disease.”