While dancing is generally a popular form of
exercise, it is now
medically proven that dancing, and especially the Argentine
tango, has a great effect medically.
People of all ages flock to the milongas
and the sound of Gardel fills the air, might this
People of all ages flock to the milongas
and the sound of Gardel fills the air, might this
be the fountain of youth long searched for?
‘Tango therapy’ is the term applied to the
therapeutic purposes
of the dance and is becoming a popular way of increasing
the quality of life of many patients. Using dance as therapy
is nothing new, as
the social setting of a dance hall and the
sound of music is known to ease
stress and stimulate the
brain positively. Through dancing, not only the body
is
cured, but also it also stimulates the mind and is used to
help people
suffering with everything from depression,
and phobias to schizophrenia.
The tango therapy has recently become a new
form of
treatment in patients suffering from neurological
diseases such as
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Patients
afflicted with the diseases face a future
of deteriorating physical
and mental state and need a constant stimulation of
the mind
through for example music.
Previous physical treatment in patients with
Parkinson’s
included general exercise such as walking, but studies carried
out
by the Department of Physical Therapy at Washington
University in Canada
suggests that the coordination in tango
proves more effective than any other
form of exercise.
Finding the balance
“We
saw that the movements in tango proved helpful
particularly regarding balance
and walking backwards,” says
Dr. Gammon Earhart, assistant professor at
Washington
University and author of the study. She explains that the
motor
skills of Parkinson’s patients vanish and especially
movements
like walking
backwards and turning are hard to carry out,
making it difficult to perform
everyday chores.
After reading a study by Patricia McKinley at
a conference of
the Society for Neuroscience, which stated that tango
improved
mobility in generally frail elderly patients, Earhart decided
to see if the
same
results could be achieved in patients with Parkinson’s.
Together with
Madeleine Hackney, a PhD student and
professional ballroom dancer, they
conducted a series of
tests comparing tango to standard exercise regimes as
well
as more familiar dances for the Canadians like waltz and
fox trot.
“All treatments had some result elements in
common,
but the treatment using the tango always proved either
equal or
superior to the other exercise methods,” said
Earhart.
Improvement in balance
and more fluid movements
was seen after as little as two weeks of exercise.
Earhart believes that there are some benefits
found in
dance
in general, but that the tango contains some specific
manoeuvres
that are especially beneficialto people with
Parkinson’s. The healing
might lie in the fact that the
patient
needs to be on high alert to plan out
the following steps
in the
complicated dance. The coordination needed to
perform
the dance stimulates the brain correctly for the patient
to improve
their balance.
The healing embrace
“I believe tango is beneficial because of the
closeness.
Through the close embrace with their partner, the patients
feel safe
and dare to move around more,” says Marisa
Maragliano,
secretary of
Sentimiento Tango, who initiated the first
international conference for tango
therapy that took place
in Rosario two weeks ago.
“The patients feel like the protagonist when
they dance and
this improves their self-esteem. The closeness to the partner
is
vital and the embrace in tango provides a physical
connection,”
she adds.
Maragliano is an active figure in the tango
therapy scene and
arranges several
classes with patients suffering from
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Treating the
latter is
organised through Clínica de
Memoria in Rosario.
“Many Alzheimer’s patients
become isolated from society
and the disease dominates their life. Through
attending
the dance classes they take part in something social and
can again
enjoy physical contact and talk to other people,”
Maragliano says. For
Alzheimer’s patients the stimulation
of the mind is vital to combat total
deterioration of the memory.
For the older Argentine generations, tango
triggers a lot
of memories, explains Maragliano. Through the music
they are
brought back to their youth when they were in
the milongas, dancing
all night. “When the music is put
on they instantly recognise the beat,
understand which
tango to dance and even remember the lyrics and sing
along,”
she says. “Families tell me their loved ones return
from class having lots to
tell, something which is unusual
for Alzheimer’s patients due to isolation and
lack of
motivation to participate in any activities.”
At Clínica de Memoria, 30 patients are being
treated for
Alzheimer’s. Dr. Gerardo Tiezzi, director at the clinic
explains
that they help patients regain their identity
through series of different
exercises, now including tango
dancing.
“Before we used simple and standard treatment
methods
like physical exercise and mental stimulation through music.
But we
noticed that the patients specifically remembered
tango lyrics without problem
and decided to try and
incorporate
the tango dancing as a part of the
exercise.” He says the
feedback has been positive and patients
state the dance
makes them feel happy.
The magical ingredient
“Tango therapy deals with how people feel and
improving
their life quality,” says Earhart. ‘While others look at the
spiritual side of it, I am interested in the medical and scientific
benefits
and I have to admit we did make some very
interesting findings.”
The question remains, how is it that tango, with songs of
tragic love
stories and slow, melancholic music became
therapy and not disco, with happier
beats, inspiring lyrics
and colourful costumes? Actually the meringue and
salsa
are two other dances proven to have medical
effects, but Maragliano believes
that the key lies in
the fact that tango is one of the few dances where the
partners are locked in an intimate, embracing position,
creating a stimulating
physical contact with healing effects.
It is the more spiritual and mental
effect that makes it so
effective. It definitely is proven to be the embrace
that heals.