Moving Towards a Medicine of Dance: A Scoping Review of Characteristics of Dance Interventions Targeting Older Adults and a Theoretical Framework

July 12, 2024

Rice PE, Thumuluri D, Barnstaple R, Fanning J, Laurita-Spanglet J, Soriano CT, Hugenschmidt CE.

Dance combines cultural and aesthetic elements with behaviors important for brain health, including physical activity, social engagement, and cognitive challenge. Therefore, dance could positively impact public health given the rapidly aging population, increasing incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and lack of uptake of exercise in many older adults. Despite a high volume of literature, existing literature does not support evidence-based guidelines for dance to support healthy aging.