Effect of Creative Dance on Fitness, Functional Balance, and Mobility Control in the Elderly

BACKGROUND: In the literature on creativity in older adults, creative activities have been found to be an effective way of adapting to age-related psychological and physical changes, providing older adults with opportunities to think differently and be open to new ideas. On the other hand, physical activities play an important role in the prevention of physical decline. Thus, combining physical activity and certain creative activities, such as creative dance (CD), might help facilitate successful aging. Since the National Dance Association has expanded dance into educational and community facilities, CD programs have begun to be developed and widely used for all ages. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of a CD program on fitness, functional balance, and mobility in the elderly. METHODS: Eighty-two community-dwelling older adults were randomly allocated to either a dance group (n = 41, age = 70.5 ± 7.89 years) or a stretching group (n = 41, age = 71.77 ± 7.78 years). Over 8 weeks, these groups participated in CD and stretching training (ST) classes, respectively, which lasted for 90 min and were held 2 days a week. The CD included tasks to explore movement elements (i.e., body, space, time, force), develop their own movement, and transform feelings or inner experiences into movement. The ST included several upper- and lower-body stretching poses. The outcome measures included the Senior Fitness Test (SFT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and 10-Meter Walking Test (gait speed). RESULTS: A significant group × time interaction was found for the 30-s stand and 30-s arm curl, and for the BBS, TUG, DGI, and gait speed. Post hoc paired t tests revealed significantly increased scores for the 30-s stand, 30-s arm curl, back stretching, and chair sit and reach tests, and for the TUG, BBS, TUG, DGI, and gait speed in the CD group. The 30-s arm curl and chair sit and reach test scores significantly increased in the ST group. CONCLUSION: CD and stretching may both benefit fitness and balance for older adults; however, CD may improve dynamic balance and mobility more than stretching. Therefore, CD may be a creative physical activity that contributes to successful aging.