Is Tango a Miracle Cure?

Dance naturally promotes health; we all notice the improved posture, circulation, balance, and muscle tone that dancing brings us. But the growing practice of Argentine Tango has led medical researchers to discover added health benefits specifically linked to this particular dance practice:

• improves coordination, balance, and posture
• increases muscle tone and flexibility
• reduces stress and anxiety
• improves cardiac health
• lowers blood pressure
• improves memory, focus, and multi-tasking
• enables creative and emotional expression
• builds greater ease in social situations
• imparts that dancer’s aura: standing tall, radiating confidence
• is increasingly used as therapy in a wide variety of applications: such as, physical therapy, couples therapy and therapy for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients

Parkinson patients, for example, responded better to tango than to standard physiotherapy (Hackney, ME., 2009).  In fact, The Fundación Tango Argentino (Argentine Tango Foundation) in Buenos Aires offers free tango classes to peoples with Parkinson’s.

(The above information is from the post: Washinton University Study: Parkinson’s and Dancing)

SloMo Tango

In Edmonton last year, YEGTango launched the SloMo Tango program that created space for and gave special attention to people with physical limitations, including Parkinson’s. The following is a very moving video that was done about the program:

https://substack.com/home/post/p-168745234?source=queue&…

“Watching the video honestly brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing it with me.As a dancer myself, I think your initiative to create this program and open the door for people with mobility challenges to experience the joy of dance, and all its physical, social, emotional, and creative benefits, is truly amazing. It’s such a beautiful gift you’re giving.” Renato Barbosa dos Santos (he/him), MScPT, PhD (c). KTA Lab | Rehabilitation Sciences Institute | Temerty Faculty of Medicine | University of Toronto

Evaluation

9 months into our program, these are our learnings to date. 

1. Specialized programming adapted for disabilities takes extra skill, knowledge and long-term commitment by the facilitators.
2. An individualized program is required for each participant depending on abilities, limitations and learning styles. This is not a one-size-fits-all venture.
3. Participation in the program requires daily commitment to corresponding exercises. A complimentary exercise program is as important, or more so, than the actual dance instruction. A recent study on Parkinsons discovered that regular exercise is the single most effective intervention to the prevention and progression of Parkinson’s. ref. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox?projector=1
4. Tango is a difficult dance for anyone, especially for someone with physical limitations. Our SloMo program started with 4. One has graduated to the regular program. One has left. One left and has returned. Our Parkinsonian participant, Ron, remains committed week in and week out, including mid-week exercising. He thoroughly enjoys the program, and his dancing is improving.
5. Instruction needs to be 1:1, and it takes two to Tango. This means that ideally, participation is limited to the number of assistants available. Fortunately, in Ron’s case, there has been the most remarkable pairing with a skilled, enthusiastic and very caring partner. Irrespective of any longterm mobility outcomes, this friendship has been a rich gift for both.
6. Having an adaptive program as part of a tango community changes the character of the entire community. Rather than the focus being on developing the skills of the stars, the community adopts a balanced acceptance of everyone who ventures out. irrespective of their talents. 
7. Leadership and cooperation is encouraged throughout the community. More advanced dancers are recognized, and ad-hoc assistance is encouraged on the dance floor. Special attention is paid to ensure that everyone gets to dance and that beginners get special attention, not forgotten. 
8. This sense of inclusive community spreads to everyone. In the end, the most common reason cited for coming to our weekly Tango gathering is not learning an exotic, exclusive dance, but the warm hospitality and welcoming acceptance of all. Tango plays out not as an exclusive club but as a marvellous medium for connecting.  
9. The door has been opened to inclusion on many levels. To begin with, we have several instructors, each with their distinctive style of teaching. Rather than this being seen as conflictory, it is adopted as complementary and expansive. The same is true about the style of music played, with time given to alternative tunes in addition to the classics. One of our milongas is dubbed TNT (Traditional and Nuevo Tango).
10. The door can open further to role swapping (follows learning to lead and leads following) as well as to non-binary dancing. One of our mottos is “any body, any gender.” This is still in its infancy but is slowly beginning to germinate. 

OK. So maybe not a miracle cure. But an excellent antidote to many of the ailments that we encounter today, not only physically but psychologically and socially as well. 

Join in. Have fun.

Aydan