When dancing is good for the brain
Every Friday morning dozens of people who suffer from strokes, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions fill up a Porirua dance hall to dosey doe, salsa and disco dance.
They are not just there for fun but to improve their brains.
Dancing has so many beneficial effects on the brain that it is now being used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease, which affects about one in 500 Kiwis.
‘‘Motion is lotion, getting people moving is really important,’’ dance leader and physiotherapist Rachel Horwell said.
She set up Danzability, a koha dance therapy class in 2015. There were 30 attendees when The Dominion Post visited the class at the Porirua Club.
Parkinson’s disease is caused by a gradual breakdown of certain cells in the brain which lowers a person’s normal levels of dopamine. Sufferers can have shaking and tremors, and their movements can feel stiff and slow as a result. Most people develop it between ages 55 and 65.
The lessons were a form of therapy, helping people’s nervous systems and improving their movement and balance, Horwell said.
‘‘With music in particular, the brain lights up ... if someone has, say, a progressive neurological condition like Parkinson’s, or they might have had strokes, some parts of their brain may not be working as well,’’ Horwell said.
‘‘By utilising music we are lighting up different areas of our brain and it is just getting that exercise too which helps neurology work better.’’
Horwell’s class also provides regular social interaction for people with similar conditions, which has a positive effect on their wellbeing. Other attendees had cerebral palsy or arthritis, while some were just there to dance – including the oldest
attendee, 90-year-old David Bassett.
Horwell’s class, which some attendees participate in from a chair, helps people learn patterns, improve their co-ordination and to remember sequences. ‘‘And then we have the social context of it as well,’’ she said.
Maxine Tettett had a stroke in 2012 and has been going to the class since it was set up. She said she always felt welcome and the group formed a community. ‘‘Everyone is a sickie, crookie or oldie,’’ she said.
‘‘The issue is not what you have got wrong with you but joining in and being part of the group.’’
Vanessa Teague had a stroke five years ago. The 65-year-old said she was always an independent person who loved chatting to people. She also loved dancing.
‘‘Before the stroke I just loved everything rock-and-roll, the whole works,’’ she said. ‘‘But since the stroke I have lost the co-ordination so can’t really do it as well as I used to.’’
She felt the mental and physical benefits of the class. ‘‘It always makes you feel good afterwards.’’