I remember as a young child my parents would dance the “Tango” and I thought it was funny. As I got older I thought it was cute that they could still dance together and not step on each other’s feet! The Argentine Tango is a partnered dance focused on walking and balance dynamics. Partners learn correct posture and the ability to use the floor as a walking aid. Recently, literature reports that Tango significantly improves motor scores (on the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale PDRS) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) compared to doing nothing.
In this limited study, Tango significantly improved gait performance and reduced fall risk in line with previous studies. The significant improvements in the Tango group with PD can be attributed to a Tango technique that emphasizes walking, balance, posture, and weight shifting. The results of this study may inspire the addition of Tango technique for improving physical therapy outcomes in residents with PD!