How dance can help enhance identity in people with Parkinson’s
A new study shows that group dance strengthened identity and self-expression in dancers with Parkinson’s disease
One of the key effects of Parkinson’s disease is the slowing or stiffening of movement which significantly impacts people’s quality of life and sense of self. A new study shows that participating in group dance performances strengthened identity and self-expression in dancers with Parkinson’s disease.
The findings of the study by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and Balettakademien Stockholm showed that performing in a dance company and being involved in its activities played a considerable role in disease-related identity negotiation in people with Parkinson’s disease. The experiences of watching and being watched helped them access avenues of expressing themselves without their identity being associated with Parkinson’s disease, according to the UEF’s press release. The study was published in the Nordic Journal of Dance.
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“The group offered trust and social support in a way that was not based on cognitive or physical ability, but on embodied expression. For the participants, this was something new and significant,” said senior researcher Hanna Pohjola in the statement.
For the people with Parkinson’s disease, the group identity helped them link themselves to the identity of a dancer and not to Parkinson’s disease. Despite the limits on what their bodies could do because of the disease, they felt free because of the art, which allowed them to see themselves through a new lens, according to the statement.
The dancers had to focus on cohesion, division of responsibilities, peer support, acceptance, and trust, which are important aspects of functioning within the group. Along with the dance, working with these aspects helped the dancers change their perception of the self, the researchers said in the statement. They could go beyond their functional limitations.
This study is part of a growing body of research that examines the link between activities such as dance and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. For instance, a 2021 study published in the journal Brain Sciences revealed suggested that dancing to music can pause the progression of physical and psychological symptoms of Parkinson’s, according to Medical News Today. The researchers of the study explained that dance activates parts of the brain that impact motor control, which is usually damaged by Parkinson’s disease.
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First Published:28 Aug 2023, 03:00 PM IST
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