By Frank Bublitz
Now, I have always had two left feet. Not in reality but certainly on the dance floor. However, I may just put my dancing shoes back on, even if it’s moving alone, because of how dance is healthy!
Henry Ford Health has published information on the value of dancing for the people with neurological diseases similar to my CMT:
Dance steps designed for neurological diseases, particularly Parkinson’s and MS, focus on improving balance, mobility, and cognition through rhythmic movement.
“Working memory”, the ability to learn and do new things, can decline with age. A way that dance helps with that and other cognitive issues is by retraining the brain to use its working memory. And “Gamification”, the science of learning through play and recreation is real, you benefit emotionally and cognitively!
Along with strong leg muscles helping push oxygenated blood to the brain, the adapted dance steps you can learn if you have Parkinsons or MS help restore the health of nerves and the brain. Or at worse help you preserve, in my case, what you have left!
Key techniques include Argentine tango (forward/backward steps), choreographed social dances, and seated movements that enhance coordination, gait, and spatial awareness. These exercises reduce freezing, improve stride, and enhance cognitive function.
On another note, we can all learn a lot from African culture on this subject. I once learned that some cultures within Africa have no word that simply means to sing. Either the word means singing while playing an instrument, or movement while singing, and is not simply vocalizing. Below is another nugget from the internet on this subject:
Many African languages use words that signify “the rhythm” or “to make noise” (like Kumba in Congolese) to describe dance, often blending the act of dancing, singing, and drumming into one expression.
(A little Rabbit hole exploration here; drum circles have a beneficial effect on your cardiovascular health as well. AND the rhythms can be very pleasing. Plus, if you are a Packer fan and still remember the 2026 playoff collapse against Da Bears, you can burn off a lot of anger before the next season begins!)
So to summarize, even if you can’t “dance” you can still move. Movement is good for your cognitive, emotional, mental, and physical health.
Finally, I suggest that you embrace silliness to do these dances.
You might look silly at first. Your ego might make you quit. So embrace how silly you are. Let me share an example that might help.
When I feel silly because of the stumbling that I do, I remember the old “Curly Shuffle” by Jump N’ the Saddle band in 1984. Look it up youngsters! LOL
When I stumble around I sing a little parody of that goofy song by changing the words from Curly Shuffle to Charcot Shuffle. Sometimes I sing it for fun. But it is also to remind me of my movement difficulties.
I may, as my mother did, forget as I age that I need my devices or help to move at times. She forgot at a hair appointment and tried to walk to her car. She fell and broke her hip. Later, while in the hospital, she did the same thing in her bathroom.
My sleep apnea, which is intractable, causes me to forget important things also. Since my daughter has ordered me to live to 120…lol…I must avoid what Mom did and remember to ask for help as needed.
It hurts my ego. But falls, which I do very frequently, hurt worse. Not only me but also my loved ones.
So, I will do the dancing that I can. Because dancing is fun, and fun IS healthy!
