When the sound of tango begins to resonate in the room, Lidia Beltrán exorcises the Parkinson's disease that numbs her, embraces her therapist, and dances with fluidity and grace alongside other patients, as part of an innovative treatment launched by a public hospital in Buenos Aires.
For 15 years, around 200 patients have participated in tango workshops at Ramos Mejía Hospital, designed to study their impact on the progression of symptoms of this incurable neurodegenerative disease and to provide tools to better live with it on a daily basis, the team of neurologists in charge of this "tango therapy" explained to AFP.
"One of the main problems of the disease is gait disturbance, and tango, as a dance based on walking, works on stopping and starting steps as well as strategies for moving around the floor," explains neurologist Nélida Garretto, one of the promoters of the project.
The results are encouraging. Many are finding ways to alleviate the symptoms, such as motor blockade of the feet, which "freezes" their walking, says neurologist Tomoko Arakaki. "There is one patient who told us that when she "freezes," she tries to make the "figure eight"—one of the classic tango figures—with her feet, and this allows her to break out of this impasse."
Tango promotes the construction of a "sensory pathway" that helps patients walk, she adds. "We know that Parkinson's requires pharmacological treatments. Tango is used to rehabilitate the motor part. With music, we can get out of complex situations."
– “Happiness every Tuesday” –
At 66, Ms. Beltrán, diagnosed two years ago, had never danced the tango. She started the workshop on medical advice. "If it's about slowing down progression, I have to do it, you have to dance with life," she confides.
In addition to tremors, poor balance, stiffness, and a slurred voice, the condition often leads to social isolation and depression, so the workshop acts as a stimulus to prevent this.
Ms. Beltrán says it helped her improve her stability, but also her mood. "Tomorrow I'm sure I'll feel better because today I danced the tango."
Each patient dances with a healthy person, guided by "dance therapists", such as Manuco Firmani, a renowned tango dancer, who since 2011 has alternated between the stage and this project.
Emilia, 86, prefers not to give her last name because she attends these sessions against the wishes of her son, who does not approve of the two-hour bus ride to get to the dance studio in downtown Buenos Aires.
"For me, every Tuesday is happiness," says this retired teacher with a frail, stooped body, in a very low voice, for whom the tango brings back memories of her youth.
– “Simultaneous messages” –
According to neurologist Sergio Rodríguez, every year, "we measure improvements in cognition, motor skills, walking and balance."
For experts in this typical dance from the Rio de la Plata, the secret of tango is walking. But that's not all that makes it an effective tool for treating Parkinson's disease. Its added value lies in the fact that it requires following a rhythm, dancing in a specific direction, and interpreting what your partner suggests.
These are "many simultaneous messages that need to be resolved, which is very positive in this disease where often the difficulty lies in resolving several things simultaneously," says Dr. Garretto.
At the end of the session, everyone applauds wildly. "There's an air of satisfaction," notes dance therapist Laura Segade. "After all, it's the dancing that matters, and no one can take that away from them."
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