Tango Argentino Research Articles

Perceived Effects of Tango Argentino on Couple Relationship Functioning in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and Their Partners: Findings from a Qualitative Study

This research focuses on the impact of Tango Argentino (TA) on the dynamics of relationships in couples who are dealing with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In particular, it investigates Neuro Tango Argentino Training as an intervention to explore its effects on participants and the potential benefits for the well-being and relationship dynamics of couples dealing with PD. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 13 individuals with PD and their partners, six main themes emerged. These themes include relationship quality and body awareness. The participants reported increased sensitivity and non-verbal communication within couples following the TA intervention. Additionally, the study demonstrated the adaptability of this intervention through the development of a 10-week TA program tailored for individuals with impairments. These findings suggest that TA can promote shared body awareness, facilitate meaningful experiences and encourage interaction among couples managing PD. In conclusion, this research indicates that TA holds promise as an intervention to enhance shared body awareness in couples affected by PD; however, further investigation is warranted to validate these findings.

Does the Argentine Tango Sustainably Improve Cancer-Associated Fatigue and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors?

Background: Chronic cancer-related fatigue is difficult to manage in breast cancer survivors. The tango trial showed that a six-week tango Argentino program was effective in reducing fatigue and improving quality of life, and here we investigated the sustainability of this tango program for breast cancer survivors. Methods: Stage I–III breast cancer survivors with increased fatigue symptoms were analyzed. The fifty participants in the tango trial were compared with a control cohort (n = 108) who did not participate in the tango program. Using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Questionnaire C30 (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and the German version of the cancer fatigue scale (CFS-D) self-reported quality of life parameters were assessed and longitudinal changes, correlations, and association factors were calculated. Results: Significant improvements in fatigue (p = 0.006), physical functioning (p = 0.01), and diarrhea (p = 0.04) persisted in the 50 Tango participants at 6 months, but not in the control cohort. Twelve months after joining the tango program, increased fatigue was associated with reduced sporting activities (p = 0.0005), but this was not the case for tango dancing. Conclusions: The present results suggest that tango may be appropriate as a component of early supportive and follow-up care programs, to promote health-related quality of life and physical activity and also eventually to improve long-term clinical outcomes of breast cancer survivors. Trial registration: Trial registration numbers DRKS00013335 on 27 November 2017 and DRKS00021601 on 21 August 2020 retrospectively registered.

Efficacy of Tango Argentino for Cancer-Associated Fatigue and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Persistent impairments of quality of life-in particular, cancer-associated fatigue-are a major limitation for breast cancer survivors. As physical activity and mindfulness interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing fatigue symptoms, we investigated the efficacy of a six-week Argentine tango program. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 breast cancer survivors diagnosed with stage I-III tumors 12-48 months prior to study enrollment and who had increased symptoms of fatigue. The participants were randomly assigned with a 1:1 allocation to either the tango or the waiting group. The treatment consisted of six weeks of supervised weekly one-hour tango group-sessions. Self-reported fatigue and further quality of life parameters were assessed at baseline and six weeks post-baseline. Longitudinal changes, correlations, Cohen's D (d) effect sizes, and association factors were also calculated. Superiority of the tango intervention over the waiting list control was found in terms of improvement in fatigue (d = -0.64; 95%CI, -1.2 to -0.08; p = 0.03), especially cognitive fatigue. In addition, a superiority of the tango intervention over the waiting list was found in the improvement of diarrhea (d = -0.69; 95%CI, -1.25 to -0.13; p = 0.02). A pooled pre-post analysis of the 50 participants completing the six-week tango program revealed a close to 10% improvement of fatigue (p = 0.0003), insomnia (p = 0.008) and further quality of life outcomes. Adjusted multivariate linear regression analyses revealed the greatest improvements for participants who were more active in sports. In particular, survivors who received endocrine therapies, were obese, or had no prior dance experience seemed to especially benefit from the tango program. This randomized controlled trial demonstrated that a six-week Argentine tango program improves fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Further trials are warranted to determine whether such improvements lead to better long-term clinical outcomes. trial registration number DRKS00021601. Retrospectively registered on 21 August 2020.

TANGO: effect of tango Argentino on cancer-associated fatigue in breast cancer patients\u2014study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe majority of breast cancer patients suffer from persistent impairments after completion of their primary oncological therapy. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in particular is a multidimensional syndrome having a profound negative impact on the quality of life. To counter CRF symptoms, physical activities are suggested as first-line interventions, mind-body therapies have been shown to be effective, and music therapy can also reduce anxiety and stress in breast cancer patients. Tango therapy that combines various elements can have an impact on physical, psychological, and cognitive abilities and could therefore have a beneficial effect on breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a 6-week tango module is suited as a therapeutic approach for people after primary breast cancer therapy to favorably influence their quality of life, especially CRF levels.MethodsSixty patients with a diagnosis for stage I–III breast cancer 12–48 months before enrollment and with CRF (age > 18) will be recruited and randomized 1:1 to a tango or a waiting-list group. Movement concepts using elements of Argentine tango (self-awareness, musical and spatial perception, self-perception, playfulness, shared experience) will be examined with the participants during six consecutive weekly 1-h tango sessions. The primary outcome will be the improvement of CRF (German version of the Cancer Fatigue Scale), and the secondary outcomes will be the improvement in sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and quality of life (EORTC-QLQ-C30). Patient-reported outcomes will be measured at baseline and 6 weeks later; follow-up will be performed 6, 12, and 24 months after baseline. An evaluation will be performed by means of descriptive data analyses.DiscussionArgentine tango, as a music-based movement therapy, can influence different skills and may improve several outcomes. The therapeutic use of Argentine tango in the care of breast cancer patients has not yet been reported. It is anticipated that participants receiving the tango module will have improved CRF, sleep, and quality of life scores compared to a waitlist control.Trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS) DRKS00021601. Retrospectively registered on 21 August 2020

Perceived effects of Tango Argentino on body experience in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD)—A qualitative study with affected persons and their partners

BackgroundPersons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience somatic and psycho-emotional limitations. As a neurodegenerative disease with increasing motor symptoms, PD changes the body experience. Embodied activities like dancing are beneficial to individuals with PD regarding mobility, balance and body feeling. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of Tango Argentino (TA) on body experience in individuals with PD. MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted among 12 individuals with PD and their dance partners participating in TA courses for persons with PD and uses semi-standardized interviews. The heterogeneity of the sample was mainly based on the number of TA classes, so that participants were distinguished in participants with 10 h (beginners) and participants with more than 10 h (advanced). Further variance was due to different age groups and duration of disease. ResultsParticipants reported change on five categories of body experiences: body awareness, motor symptoms and movement, general feelings, body sensations and disease-related feelings. Participants cited a shift in body awareness and improved stability, walking safety, enhanced mobility and amelioration in gestures and facial expressions. In general, participants described reduced body fatigue, anxiety, shame and frustration and increase in joy, pride, curiosity as well as reinforcement of partnership. With regard to perception, positive and negative feelings, ease, relaxation and increase of inner congruence were reported. The experience of normality and health helped to generate greater acceptance of disease burdens and to develop self-confidence and self-assurance. Dance partners confirmed the perceptions of the dancers with PD. ConclusionThe perceived effects of TA courses may be linked to a positive body awareness and body control which may be related improved motor symptoms, social and everyday life. These perceived effects should be controlled in relation to the long time change in embodied activity and body experience in persons with PD.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Investigate the Impact of Tango Argentino versus Tai Chi on Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson Disease: A Short Report

Objectives: Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with increasing impairments in disease progression. The aim of the pilot study was to investigate the influence of Tango argentino on the quality of life of people with PD compared to Tai Chi. Design, Setting, Interventions: In the two-arm, randomized controlled pilot study, patients with PD received a 10-week Tango argentino or Tai Chi intervention (once per week, 60 min each). Main Outcome Measures: The outcome parameters were assessed at three time points (after the 1st course, after the 5th course, and after the 10th course) using standardized instruments, i.e., Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale (BMLSS), Inner Congruence with Practices (ICPH). Results: Overall, 14 patients and their partners received Tango argentino (9 male, 5 female; mean age: 69 ± 8 years) and 15 received Tai Chi (3 male, 12 female; mean age: 69 ± 11 years). Four patients in each group were lost during the trial. No improvements were found in both groups for all outcomes. Patients in the tango group reported better emotional well-being (p = 0.039) after 10 weeks of intervention compared to the Tai Chi group. Conclusions: Further studies are needed taking into account findings from this study to improve recruitment and attrition of patients during the trial and to justify the potential implementation of Tango argentino into clinical care.

The role of interpersonal movement synchronisation in empathic functions: Insights from Tango Argentino and Capoeira

Although evidence points to a role for kinesthetic empathy (i.e. spontaneous interpersonal movement imitation and synchronisation) in social interaction, its relationship with emotional and cognitive aspects of empathy is unknown. We compared empathy in Tango and Capoeira experts, which crucially depend on ongoing, mutual interpersonal synchronisation, with empathy in practitioners of Salsa and Breakdance, respectively, which demand less interpersonal synchronisation but are comparable concerning movements and setting. Kinesthetic empathy was increased in the Tango and Capoeira groups. Although no group differences in other aspects of empathy were detected, kinesthetic empathy correlated with emotional and cognitive empathy. Taken together, trait kinesthetic empathy varies in the general population, and appears increased in synchronisation experts.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of Tango Argentino in Parkinson Disease

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of Tango Argentino in Parkinson Disease

Vuelve el tango: “Tango argentino” y las narrativas sobre el resurgimiento del baile en Buenos Aires

En la actualidad, el baile de tango en Buenos Aires ha cobrado un renovado valor en tanto práctica local, del mismo modo que se ha convertido en un poderoso recurso para la promoción económica y el desarrollo turístico de la ciudad. En este artículo analizamos algunas narrativas -reproducidas por milongueros, bailarines y allegados al tango- que tratan sobre cómo el tango “volvió” a ser una práctica culturalmente legítima en la ciudad a partir de la década del ‘80. Sobre la base de este proceso de resurgimiento del tango bailado, abordamos la construcción de un relato dominante vinculado a un espectáculo denominado “Tango Argentino”. Exploramos de qué modo este relato es objeto de legitimación y disputa en el presente, al tiempo que observamos las relaciones dialógicas que establece con distintas narrativas y cómo ello se encadena con enunciaciones históricas o anteriores. A partir de estas construcciones narrativas sobre el presente y el pasado del tango problematizamos los sentidos en pugna vigentes en torno a la práctica del baile en Buenos Aires.

Intersubjectivity at Close Quarters: How Dancers of Tango Argentino Use Imagery for Interaction and Improvisation

Abstract The article explores the prerequisites of embodied ‘conversations’ in the improvisational pair dance tango argentino. Tango has been characterized as a dialog of two bodies. Using first- and second-person phenomenological methods, I investigate the skills that enable two dancers to move as a super-individual ensemble, to communicate without time lag, and to feel the partner’s intention at every moment. How can two persons - walking in opposite directions and with partly different knowledge - remain in contact throughout, when every moment can be an invention? I analyze these feats through the lens of image schemas such as BALANCE, FORCE, PATH, and UP-DOWN (Johnson 1987). Technique-related discourse - with its use of didactic metaphor - abounds with image-schematic vectors, geometries, and construal operations like profiling. These enable the tango process: from posture, via walking technique and kinetics, to attention and contact skills. Dancers who organize their muscles efficiently - e.g., through core tension - and who respect postural ‘grammar’ - e.g., a good axis - enable embodied dialog by being receptive to their partners and being manoeuvrable. Super-individual imagery that defines ‘good’ states for a couple to stick to, along with relational attention management and kinetic calibration of joint walking, turns the dyad into a single action unit. My further objective is a micro-phenomenological analysis of joint improvisation. This requires a theory to explain dynamic sensing, the combining of repertory knowledge with this, and the managing of both in small increments. Dancers strategically sense action affordances (Gibson 1979) or recognize and exploit them on the fly. Dynamic routines allow them to negotiate workable configurations step-wise, assisted by their knowledge of node points where the elements of tango are most naturally connected and re-routed. The paper closes with general lessons to learn from these highly structured and embodied improvisational skills, especially regarding certain blind spots in current social cognition theory.

Tango- en livgivende dans

Artiklen belyser hvad der kan opstå, når mennesker mødes i forskellige netværk og udfolder en fælles interesse. Hvor samværet i tango handler ikke om sundhed, men om at danse. Tango – a life-giving danceMusic, singing and dancing have often been conceptualised as enhancing well-being as well as promoting mental and physical health. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what happens when people meet and dance tango Argentino. This dance has no intentions regarding health, but unintentional it might promote health.Methods: Fieldwork in tango milieu in Denmark, Australia and Argentina, including participant- observation and 20 informal and eight formal interviews.Results: Tango Argentino is characterized by close expressive bodily contact, consideration for one another in the dance, motivation and involvement, various networks (local, regional, national and international) and rituals that shape the condition so everybody confidentially can join the dance milieu.Conclusion: Looking with the eyes of a salutogenic health model and taken together the results, it seems that tango dance, as a moderate physical exercise and a primary leisure, promote health. Implications of dance for social, emotional and physical well-being and health promotion need further research.

Emotional and Neurohumoral Responses to Dancing Tango Argentino: The Effects of Music and Partner

The present study examines the emotional and hormonal responses to tango dancing and the specific influences of the presence of music and partner on these responses. Twenty-two tango dancers were assessed within four conditions, in which the presence of music and a dance partner while dancing were varied in a 2

Intersubjectivity at Close Quarters: How Dancers of Tango Argentino Use Imagery for Interaction and Improvisation

Intersubjectivity at Close Quarters: How Dancers of Tango Argentino Use Imagery for Interaction and Improvisation

Does partnered dance promote health? The case of tango Argentino

Cultural activities, including music, singing and dance, have often been conceptualised as enhancing well-being as well as promoting mental and physical health. This paper focuses on partnered dance in the context of 'cultures of fitness'. Its purpose was to investigate the dancers of tango Argentino, and to explore potential health benefits in this group. Participants (N=110) completed a self-developed inventory, which was, in part, based on interviews and observations as a participant observer. The inventory addresses educational, musical, and socio-economic background, motivation for and investment in dancing tango, and other leisure activities. Dancers are characterized by high-level education and socio-economic status. Motivation appears to be predominantly driven by both hedonistic and social factors, accounting altogether for nearly 60% of the variance. The majority of individuals started dancing tango only in their 30s. Physical investment in terms of time and money indicate tango dancing as a highly important activity that seems to involve substantial opportunity of moderate physical exercise, social interaction and emotional reward. In consequence, tango dance was identified as the primary leisure activity. Tango dancers were identified as highly educated individuals, who are dedicated to the practice in many respects, including physical and emotional. They draw from similar motivations as compared to participants of other musical activities such as singing and listening to music. Notably, aspects of physical fitness are more prominent in this group. The intensity with which tango is practised seems to depend to some degree on individual lifestyles. Taken together, the results suggest a high degree of personal involvement in tango dance as a primary leisure activity. Implications of partnered dance for social, emotional, and physical well-being and health promotion demand further research.