Can Moving to the Music Shake Off Parkinson’s? Dance Therapy for Motor, Cognitive, and Affective Functioning in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
Anna Suherman
07/09/2026
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impacts multifaceted domains of functioning. Simultaneously impairing motor, cognitive, and affective performance, the disease significantly degrades the quality of individuals’ daily lives. Current treatments are largely pharmacological, and although they alleviate symptoms, they do not cease disease progression and are often associated with major complications and adverse effects. This prompted a growing interest in non-pharmacological interventions that address the complex, multidimensional nature of the disease. Therefore, this narrative review synthesizes existing literature on the effects of dance therapy as a complementary intervention for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Within the literature investigating dance therapy for patients with mild to moderate disease severity, significant improvements in motor, cognitive, and affective outcomes have been reported. In addition to demonstrating greater degrees of improvement in several areas compared to those observed in some traditional rehabilitation approaches, dance therapy may provide additional benefits in domains not typically targeted by conventional rehabilitation. As a result, dance therapy shows promise as a multidimensional, complementary intervention in the management of Parkinson’s disease.