DANZIAMO

Clinical dance therapy is a form of creative arts therapy that uses movement and dance to promote physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being. By stimulating the motor and sensory systems, it helps improve movement fluidity, motor coordination, and balance. For these reasons, its use has expanded in recent years as a promising complementary approach to conventional rehabilitation for managing the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Despite its growing adoption, quantitative evidence demonstrating its effectiveness remains limited. This study therefore aims to objectively assess the effects of clinical dance therapy on gait biomechanics in individuals with Parkinson's disease. To this end, biomechanical parameters associated with gait stability and motor control will be compared using motion analysis data collected before and after participants undergo clinical dance therapy sessions.

The project's primary and intended social impact lies not only in the potential benefits for participants, but also in the scientific validation of a therapeutic intervention. The study seeks to establish robust evidence supporting the effectiveness of clinical dance therapy for people living with Parkinson's disease.

To this end, the project will be carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering (IEIIT) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR). This partnership strengthens the project's impact by enhancing both the technical validation of the methodology and the transferability of its results. The biomechanical data collected will provide a foundation for the future development of assistive technologies, such as rehabilitation feedback systems and telerehabilitation platforms, making clinical dance therapy more accessible while enabling its outcomes to be monitored beyond specialised clinical settings.

The scientific validation generated by the project represents a key prerequisite for integrating clinical dance therapy into standard rehabilitation protocols for Parkinson's disease, thereby promoting equitable access to treatment regardless of patients' socioeconomic circumstances.

Supported by robust quantitative evidence, the wider adoption of this therapeutic approach has the potential to improve quality of life, functional capacity, and overall well-being for people with Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, clinical dance therapy shifts the focus from the disease itself to the individual as a whole, recognising and fostering each person's expressive, relational, and creative potential.

Project’s partner

• Associazione di promozione sociale “è”

Project Team

• Daniela Maffiodo (DIMEAS), PA
• Maria Paterna (DIMEAS), Research fellow
• Gianluca Amprimo (DAUIN), Research fellow
• Luigi Borzì (DAUIN), RTD-A