The Science behind Parkinson’s Dance

The Parkinson’s Dance Science approach began in 2012. It was co-founded by neuro-physiotherapist Dr. Sophia Hulbert and dance artist Aimee Hobbs, with support from Pavilion Dance. This method combines physiotherapy knowledge with the artistic experience of dance to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms. Its aim is to offer a personal, social, creative, and evidence-based dance experience.

At the heart of every class are the dancers themselves. They inspire us and continue to drive our mission to bring dance to people living with Parkinson’s.

As the program grew—with three more classes across Dorset and Hampshire, and over 20 trained practitioners—the next natural step was to understand why this approach works through formal research.

Methodology: The Why Dance? Study

In 2016, we launched a research project in partnership with the University of Southampton, led by Dr. Sophia Hulbert and Dr. Dorit Kunkel.

The study, called WHY DANCE?, was a unique 3-year feasibility project. It had two goals:

To test if it was possible to collect and track long-term outcomes in Parkinson’s Dance classes and to explore the long-term impact on participants’ quality of life.

Using questionnaires, 46 dancers from four Parkinson’s Dance classes shared their progress. These dancers came from sessions run by:

• Pavilion Dance South West  
• Artslink Sherborne
• Dorchester Arts
• Forest Arts Centre

Over two years, researchers tracked changes in dancers’ physical ability and quality of life.

Conclusions

Research worked well in real community class settings, offering a true look into everyday impact. Dancers showed improvement in physical, emotional, and social well-being. Nearly two-thirds maintained or improved their physical ability, despite the expected decline with Parkinson’s. These findings offer hope and direction for future research into how dance can help manage Parkinson’s

Note: This study was not designed for statistical testing. Results are presented as descriptive findings.