Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults
Published on: December 9, 2014
Impact of a Therapeutic Dance Program Compared With Circuit Physiotherapy in Rehabilitation of Older People With
Zoe Adey-Wakeling1,2, Heather Block1,3, Selena Hutchins1
1Division of Rehabilitation, Aged and Palliative Care, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia.
Objective:
To assess the feasibility of providing dance groups to people with recent acquired brain injuries (ABIs) in a hospital rehabilitation outpatient setting.
Design:
A mixed methods exploratory trial that included qualitative interviews and a single blind randomized controlled trial comparing 10 weeks (3 per wk: 30 sessions) of dance group to circuit group.
Setting:
A day rehabilitation outpatient setting in a tertiary hospital in South Australia.
Participants:
A total of 49 participants (N=49) with ABI consented and were randomly divided.
Interventions:
Patients were randomly divided to a 10-week program of either dance group (n=25) or physiotherapy circuit group (n=24). The intervention was completed by 84% of dance participants and 87% of physiotherapy circuit group participants.
Main Outcome Measures:
Primary outcome measure was health-related quality of life measured with Short Form-36. Secondary outcomes included a battery of assessments of balance, function, mobility, mood, and cognition. Feasibility outcomes included information on enrolment rates, attendance, participant satisfaction, and adverse events.
Results:
Physical outcomes were comparable between the 2 groups (with no adverse outcomes), but gains in the mental health component of quality of life measures were observed in the dance group only, including energy/fatigue and emotional well-being. Qualitative results indicated that participants found both dance and circuit groups enjoyable and acceptable. Participants offered that dance had complemented other aspects of their rehabilitation.
Conclusions:
Dance groups in rehabilitation outpatient settings appear a safe, feasible therapeutic option post ABI, with significant gains in health-related quality of life, mood, and fatigue measures. Findings support feasibility to progress to a larger cluster randomized controlled trial to assess cost effectiveness and implementation issues in rehabilitation services generally.
