Chronic dizziness caused by damage or disease of the vestibular system, which includes the inner ear and parts of the brain, affects 69 million Americans.1 Researchers from Imperial College London conducted a study of ballet dancers’ brains and discovered that the dancers lacked cortical white matter networks in their brains, allowing them to avoid dizziness while doing pirouettes. Author Christopher Bergland highlights the findings of the study: “Years of training can enable dancers to suppress signals from the balance organs in the inner ear linked to the cerebellum.”2 Scientists continue to search for methods to reduce the signals being received by the cerebral cortex in the brain, which would ameliorate the symptoms of patients living with chronic dizziness. Using ballet as a therapy for this disease will decrease the chances of brain injury due to falls, one of the many prevalent issues in the elderly population.
Parkinson’s disease occurs when one no longer carries cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls movement and coordination in the human body, which causes the patient to experience tremors, imbalance, sluggishness, and stiffness of limbs.4 Doctors are treating those with Parkinson’s with dance because current therapies do not fully address the balance issues faced by patients. Author Scott Edwards explains the method of using dance as therapy: “A series of fixed rhythms are presented to patients, and the patients are asked to move to the rhythms. Studies of the effects this technique has on patients with Parkinson’s or other movement disorders have found significant improvements in gait and upper extremity function among participants.”4 The simple act of moving to a steady beat is being implemented as therapy for a disease that affects 60,000 new men and women each year. In fact, the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group together established a class, which a study concluded, “positively impacts quality of life,” for elders suffering from Parkinson’s.3
Dance as a method of therapy for Parkinson’s and chronic dizziness proves to be an effective treatment that results in the alleviation of balance issues. Many may believe that dance only serves as a recreational hobby, but research conducted illustrates otherwise.