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Tango Therapy: What should we do to Maximize the Effectiveness of Tango

Therapy?-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Korea * Corresponding author

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Review Article Journal of Clinical Review & Case Reports

Tango Therapy: What should we do to Maximize the Effectiveness of Tango Therapy?
Youngsoon Koh1, Yoonchul Hur2, Younghwa Baek3, Sangwook Park4, Suok Kim5, Jung O Suh6, IC Soo Kim7,
Chang Won Ha8 and Geunwoong Noh9*
1
Medical Tango, Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Korea
2,3,4
Tango School, Seoul Korea
5
Lime Tango, Seoul Korea
Corresponding author
*

Geunwoong Noh, Yoonchul Hur, Department of Allergy, Allergy and

6
Tango Korea, Seoul Korea
Clinical Immunology Center, Doreongno 65, Jeju-si Jeju Special Self-
Governing Province 63127; Tango School, Yonhap Bld B1, Jamwon-dong
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-
7
13-10, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06524, Korea, Tel: +82-64-740-5064; Fax: +82-64-
Governing Province Korea
743-3110; E-mail: admyth@naver.com, neohan3@hanmail.net
8
Department of Pathology, Cheju Halla General Hospital, Jeju-si,
Submitted: 21 Jan 2019; Accepted: 28 Jan 2019; Published: 11 Feb 2019
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Korea

Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Center, Cheju

9

Halla General Hospital, Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province

Korea

Introduction as exhilaration and sense of purpose, and increased confidence, self-

A more systemic analysis of tango movement for proper and effective esteem and feelings of belonging and purpose. On these backgrounds,
therapeutic application of tango is necessary for medical purposes. dance was applied as therapy, ‘dance therapy’
The aim of this study was to systematically approach how Argentine
tango is being used and investigated for the therapeutic purpose in Dance Therapy
medical field to improved gait and balance. Dance therapy was officially described first in 1948 [8]. The medical
effects of dance in health and healing were scientifically reported
Medical Effects of Dance in 1995 [4]. The medical application of dance therapy was well
Medical interventions with dance and sport are similar to each other reviewed in neurologic conditions [9]. Walking, balance and mobility
by promoting subjective well-being in healthy people [1]. However, are almost invariably affected by the neurological conditions such as
dance goes together with music differently from sports. So, dance stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury,
is commonly defined differently from sports as a performing art Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease [9,10].
form which refers to the rhythmic movements and sequences of
steps usually set to music [2]. Dance has additional positive effects Interest in the use of dance as a therapeutic tool to address both
as compared to sports because of music and artistic characteristics. psychological and physical impairments is increasing after the
Cochrane review reporting positive effects on quality of life and
Dance is a worldwide human activity that involves complex whole fatigue in people with cancer [11].
body movements through space synchronized to music [3]. Dance
may promote wellness by strengthening the immune system through Most of all, gait and balance impairments have a profound impact
muscular action and physiological processes [4]. Dance conditions on an individual’s ability to perform activities of daily living and
an individual to moderate, eliminate, or avoid tension, chronic consequently, quality of life [12,13]. Clearly, new therapeutic
fatigue, and other disabling conditions that result from the effects approaches and interventions for balance, mobility, and gait are
of stress. Dance may help the healing process as a person gains a needed and dance instruction as therapy is a promising intervention
sense of control through possession by the spirit in dance, mastery of that may address this need [9]. Older adults who regularly dance
movement, escape or diversion from stress and pain through a change have a more stable gait pattern, better balance and faster reaction
in emotion, states of consciousness, and/or physical capability, and times than older adults who do not dance [14,15]. Especially, dance
confronting stressors to work through ways of handling their effects. has been used extensively for the treatment of gait and balance
Dance-related reviews of evidence have examined the effectiveness dysfunction in individuals with Parkinson’s disease [16-18]. Dance
of dance therapy on psychological and physical health and well- may hold promise as an intervention to improve gait, balance and
being outcomes in patients with cancer, for schizophrenia, and on mobility in a variety of neurological conditions including stroke,
depression [5-7]. Dance can instill positive well-being feelings such multiple sclerosis, spinal cord index, and Huntington’s disease [9].

J Clin Rev Case Rep, 2019 www.opastonline.com Volume 4 | Issue 2 | 1 of 4

Dance as therapy has multiple benefits including improvements in to disease characteristics and disability [26]. Tango has many
balance, gait, and motor impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD) types of complicated movement. In tango therapy, the type of
[17]. movement should be applied and described. For that, the elements
of tango movement should be analyzed and applied properly for
Argentine Tango Therapy the therapeutic purpose.
Argentine tango is the most frequently employed dance form in
the treatment of Parkinson’s disease [17]. Argentine tango therapy Majority of studies did not describe adverse events and a lack of
was reported officially in the medical research fields in 2008 for reporting in these studies does not imply that no adverse events
the first time, by studying effects of a community-based Argentine occurred [9]. However, if it is approached inappropriately, the disease
tango dance program on functional balance and confidence in older status can inadvertently be seriously aggravated. Adverse events
adults [19]. The effects of Argentine tango on movement control in are the other important aspects to be scrutinized in tango therapy.
Parkinson’s disease were compared with those of American ballroom Not all tango movement may be beneficial for healthy subjects and
dance and the tango group was found to improve as much or more a certain tango movement may be harmful according to the some
than those in the waltz/foxtrot group on several measures [20]. Tango conditions of specific disease condition. This should be expected
therapy improved spatial cognition and disease severity, motor before performing tango therapy.
and non-motor manifestations as well as balancing and walking in
Parkinson’s disease. Tango therapy was proven to be feasible and Unique characteristics of argentine tango for the medical
safe through these studies in Parkinson’s disease [21-24]. application as tango therapy
Lötzke et al. described that several styles exist and tango is mostly
Argentine tango was also applied therapeutically for treating danced in either open or close embrace with long elegant steps and
depression and compared the effects by mindfulness meditation complex figures in Argentine tango [34]. In spite of therapeutic
and a waiting-list control [25]. Moreover, depression levels were application of argentine tango, there was no specification of tango
significantly reduced in the tango and meditation groups, relative movements, styles and sequence with steps. First of all, the precise
to waiting-list controls, but stress levels were significantly reduced analysis of the principle of tango movement in the view point of
only in the tango group. medical concept may be necessary [26]. Argentine tango therapy
has many favorable therapeutic characteristics.
Tango as a non-specific exercise in current tango therapy similar
to every dance therapy Argentine tango is a popular couple dance which originated in Rio
Tango movement or adjusted tango movement has been applied de la Plata, Argentina, in the mid-19th century and the terminology
in diseases like Parkinson’s disease by applying just movement as of Argentine tango was described as Spanish like Caminar (Walk,
an extent of exercise therapy [26]. However, the only difference Gait), Ocho Adelande (forward round walk), Ocho Atras (backward
between tango therapy and exercise therapy is that tango therapy is round movement), Giro (turn around movement), Boleo (unique
applied merely with tango music. Dance exercise to music (aerobics) tango movement of lower limb), Cruse (cross stepping), Gancho,
was reported to significantly improve self-reported positive well- Saccada, Barrida, Colcada, and Volcada [34,35].
being and reduce distress and fatigue at the end of the intervention
[27]. Dance also has the same aerobic benefits as jogging and To maximize the effectiveness of tango therapy in application to
walking programs [28]. However, dance therapy is music therapy these characteristic tango movements, these movements should
and exercise no matter how they see it. Argentine tango was also be analyzed into basic elemental movement and the functional
applied therapeutically as has other dances and movement and music anatomical description of these elements and tango movement may
is considered to be useful. However, movement was not applied be absolutely necessary.
over exercise in tango therapy.
What should we do to maximize the effectiveness of tango
It was reported that improvements made with dance as therapy therapy?
may be greater than gains made with traditional exercise therapy For the analysis of basic elements and the functional anatomical
or in some circumstances, conventional physiotherapy [29,30]. description of tango movements, the collaboration between the
However, there was no description concerning the delicate reasons tango specialist, who has profound knowledge for tango with a
and the mechanisms of effects have not been suggested. For the long tango career with experience in tango instructing and tango
therapeutic application of dance, dance therapy, free and guided performance with stage tango, and the medical specialist who
dance movement, and dance movement were used as terms. The has enough experience including authentic tango lesson, tango
terminology themselves is obscure and not defined discretely [31- instructing and tango performance in the knowledge of the essence
33]. of argentine tango may be requisite and inevitable. This is the first
thing what to do.
To maximize the therapeutic effects of tango therapy, more systemic
analyses in medical viewpoints and the deduction of the medical After analysis of tango movement into basic elemental movement
characteristics of Argentine tango are necessary. All dances have by functional anatomical tool, these basic elements should be
their unique characteristics and have their own unique usefulness described by anatomical kinesiology according to the osteology,
[26]. Gains in gait, balance, and functional mobility can be made with musculoskeletal kinematics. Through this process, the tango
different forms of dance across different neurological conditions [9]. movement may be evaluated as compared to the neutral position
and natural movement in functional anatomical aspects. This process
Argentine tango has several characteristic movements and should be may reveal the permitted range of basic elemental movement and
also applied delicately for the purpose of tango therapy according whether the basic elemental and complicated tango movement

J Clin Rev Case Rep, 2019 www.opastonline.com Volume 4 | Issue 2 | 2 of 4

may be harmful or beneficial. Also, the training technique and the the rehabilitation of balance and gait in adults with neurological
protocols for therapeutic approach in tango therapy may be deduced. conditions other than Parkinson’s disease. A systematic review
29: e00584.
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