Trial explores ballet intervention for advanced Parkinson’s

The concept of creative health refers to the intentional use of art (creative activities) such as music or dance to enhance physical, mental, and social well-being. In 2019, a scoping review commissioned by the World Health Organisation concluded that the arts can have a positive effect on both mental and physical health, grouping the effects into two broad themes: (1) prevention and promotion, and (2) management and treatment [1]. Given the growing body of evidence, there is now a substantial amount of policy interest in arts and health internationally, though local decisions around which public health topics to focus on remain inconsistent and are often driven by funding opportunities and the available evidence for effectiveness of a particular form of therapy [2].    

Dance- and music-based therapies have been repeatedly found to provide clinically meaningful improvements in Parkinson’s disease, both when compared to usual treatment or exercise. Nevertheless, the majority of evidence focuses on motor gains or isolated non-motor symptoms such as depression and anxiety or quality of life [3]. In addition, most studies exploring dance-based therapies sample early Parkinson’s, often within Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stages 1 to 3. Little to no evidence is available for advanced Parkinson’s.  

PD-Ballet is a world-first randomised controlled trial exploring effects of a ballet-based intervention across all stages of Parkinson’s. Led by Prof. K Ray Chaudhuri and Aleksandra Podlewska at the King’s Parkinson’s Centre of Excellence at King’s College Hospital London, UK, the trial recruited 77 people with Parkinson’s across all HY stages [4]. For the first time, the primary outcome focuses on non-motor Parkinson’s, and the study employed MDS-NMS as its primary outcome measure. While full results of the trial are expected to be available soon, the study team presented some initial data for the advanced cohort at the MDS International Congress in Philadelphia this year.  

The exploratory data demonstrated changes across motor and non-motor symptoms in advanced people with Parkinson’s (HY Stages 4 and 5) who undergo a ballet-based dance intervention. It also demonstrated an above 90% attendance of the sessions, indicating feasibility in a population with advanced PD.

PD-Ballet® is a 12-week dance intervention delivered by English National Ballet artists. Initially operating under the umbrella of Dance for Parkinson’s, it is a bespoke program designed by ENB artists and adjusted for motor requirements of PwP in different HY stages. The PD-Ballet project led by the King’s Centre of Excellence is part of a £2.6 million Wellcome Trust initiative, SHAPER, looking to evaluate and expand the integration of arts-based interventions within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to enhance physical and mental health outcomes. Full results are expected to be published in 2025.  

References 

1. Fancourt, D., & Finn, S. (2019). What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. 
2. Dow, R., Warran, K., Letrondo, P., & Fancourt, D. (2023). The arts in public health policy: Progress and opportunities. The Lancet Public Health, 8(2), e155-e160. 
3. Cheng, W. H., Quan, Y., & Thompson, W. F. (2024). The effect of dance on mental health and quality of life of people with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and three-level meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 105326. 
4. Podlewska, A. M., Batzu, L., Soukup, T., Sevdalis, N., Bakolis, I., Derbyshire-Fox, F., ... & Ray Chaudhuri, K. (2024). The PD-Ballet study: study protocol for a randomised controlled single-blind hybrid type 2 clinical trial evaluating the effects of ballet dancing on motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 24(1), 41.