Analysis of Movement Entropy during Community Dance Programs for People with Parkinson’s Disease and Older Adults: A Cohort Study

Dance therapy can improve motor skills, balance, posture, and gait in people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and healthy older adults (OA). It is not clear how specific movement patterns during dance promote these benefits. The purpose of this cohort study was to identify differences and complexity in dance movement patterns among different dance styles for PD and OA participants in community dance programs using approximate entropy (ApEn) analysis. The hypothesis was that PD participants will show greater ApEn during dance than OA participants and that the unique dance style of tango with more pronounced foot technique and sharp direction changes will show greater ApEn than smoother dance types such as foxtrot and waltz characterized by gradual changes in direction and gliding movement with rise and fall. Individuals participated in one-hour community dance classes. Movement data were captured using porTable 3D motion capture sensors attached to the arms, torso and legs. Classes were also video recorded to assist in analyzing the dance steps. Movement patterns were captured and ApEn was calculated to quantify the complexity of movements. Participants with PD had greater ApEn in right knee flexion during dance movements than left knee flexion (p = 0.02), greater ApEn of right than left hip flexion (p = 0.05), and greater left hip rotation than right (p = 0.03). There was no significant difference in ApEn of body movements (p > 0.4) or mean body movements (p > 0.3) at any body-segment in OA. ApEn analysis is valuable for quantifying the degree of control and predictability of dance movements and could be used as another tool to assess the movement control of dancers and aid in the development of dance therapies.

Together We Dance: A Community Dance & Film Project Using Zoom to Combat Social Isolation for Seniors During Covid-19

No abstract available.

Sharing dance: a participatory action research project in online community dance education

"As a dance and movement workshop leader for over five years I have seen the benefits that dance education offers students first hand. While on tour across Northern Ontario with the Cree language opera Pimooteewin: The Journey, I had the opportunity to share creative dance workshops with students living in remote locations. These students had limited access to dance education and most schools I visited had no integrated dance curriculum. I found this surprising since the inclusion of dance in Ontario public schools is a requirement. Dance was incorporated into the 1993 Common Curriculum and the 1998 Ontario Curriculum (Ministry of Education). Many teachers I spoke with while on tour mentioned they did not have access to high quality, free dance education materials, and did not feel comfortable teaching the subject. This experience drew me to develop an applied research project with Canada's National Ballet School's (CNBS) community outreach initiative, Sharing Dance. Unlike other online dance education organizations, such as the Council for Ontario Dance and Drama Educators (CODE) that works on a subscription model, Sharing Dance offers teachers easy access to dance education materials for free, potentially overcoming location and socioeconomic obstacles"--From introduction, page 1-2.

Sharing dance: a participatory action research project in online community dance education

"As a dance and movement workshop leader for over five years I have seen the benefits that dance education offers students first hand. While on tour across Northern Ontario with the Cree language opera Pimooteewin: The Journey, I had the opportunity to share creative dance workshops with students living in remote locations. These students had limited access to dance education and most schools I visited had no integrated dance curriculum. I found this surprising since the inclusion of dance in Ontario public schools is a requirement. Dance was incorporated into the 1993 Common Curriculum and the 1998 Ontario Curriculum (Ministry of Education). Many teachers I spoke with while on tour mentioned they did not have access to high quality, free dance education materials, and did not feel comfortable teaching the subject. This experience drew me to develop an applied research project with Canada's National Ballet School's (CNBS) community outreach initiative, Sharing Dance. Unlike other online dance education organizations, such as the Council for Ontario Dance and Drama Educators (CODE) that works on a subscription model, Sharing Dance offers teachers easy access to dance education materials for free, potentially overcoming location and socioeconomic obstacles"--From introduction, page 1-2.

Being the Facilitator: A Brief Research Report on the Motivation of the Choreographer and Dance Maker to Work With Heterogeneous Groups in a Community Dance Setting

In inclusive dance settings, where people with different abilities and talents come together, the role of facilitators is essential in guiding the process of inclusion. Their behavior gives sensitive information to the individual about one’s status within the own-group affiliation (De Cremer, 2002, p. 1336). Even today, very little research on the motivation for facilitating inclusivity in dance contexts exists. This case study will examine the facilitator’s motivation by juxtaposing current theory next to experiences of seven experts of contemporary dance facilitation in Europe. Good opportunities for meaningful interactions can be created in a dance setting: it promotes a deeper sense of community, gives us the feeling of belonging, generates respect and inclusion, and helps to prevent the feeling of loneliness (Elin and Boswell, 2004; Kaufmann, 2006; Whatley, 2007). This research report sheds light on the motivation of being the facilitator of dance for heterogeneous groups and reveals three factors from the data. First, to be led by an artistic motivation, second, to have a vision in terms of changing the society, and third, to have another personal motivation. The motivation of the facilitator is regarded as highly important for inclusive work, as the person who facilitates plays a key role in these successful processes of inclusion (Miesera et al., 2019).