Garba as therapy? Know why therapists are treating Parkinson's with Indian dance

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Hari, like many with Parkinson’s, has faced a steady erosion of not just motor control but identity itself. “It wasn’t the tremors or the falls that broke me," he says. “It was the loss of who I used to be." But joining a dance therapy group changed something in Hari. While it didn’t promise a cure, it offered something else – presence, expression, and a pathway back to joy. Parkinson’s disease is often seen through the lens of its physical symptoms: tremors, rigidity, slow movements, postural instability. But those who live with it know that the psychological burden is just as heavy, if not more so. 

“There’s immense grief associated with Parkinson’s," says Anshuma Kshetrapal, president of the Indian Association of Dance Movement Therapy and founder of Drama Therapy India. “From the onset of symptoms, there is anxiety—what is happening to me? What am I losing? Then comes the depression, the grieving for a version of oneself that may never return. People begin to withdraw socially, lose confidence, and experience a collapse of identity."

Despite advances in medical treatment which include dopamine replacement drugs and deep brain stimulation, these emotional aspects are rarely addressed. The disease chips away not only at the body but at relationships, agency, and even the will to participate in life. 

WHY DANCE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Parkinson’s affects the basal ganglia, which is the brain’s movement and dopamine center. This makes initiating and sustaining voluntary motion difficult. But the brain loves rhythm, explains Kshetrapal. “When you move to music, you bypass damaged circuits and trigger new ones. You’re literally re-routing movement through different neural highways." Neurologically, one of dance therapy’s greatest strengths is its use of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS). This rhythmic entrainment doesn’t just aid coordination, it boosts dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, the very chemicals Parkinson’s patients often lack. “We’re not just improving movement, we’re improving mood and motivation," she says. 

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Dance isn’t just movement it’s meaning-making, observes Devika Mehta Kadam, a registered dance movement psychotherapist based in Mumbai. “It activates multiple areas of the brain simultaneously—motor, emotional, auditory. You’re not just exercising, you’re expressing. That’s what makes it such a potent intervention for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s." 

A 2024 study on the traditional Gujarati dance of Garba, Garba Dance Is Effective in Parkinson’s Disease Patients: A Pilot Study, showed that even folk dances adapted for Parkinson’s patients led to better sleep, improved mood, and enhanced motor control. The familiarity of rhythm and cultural memory, researchers noted, helped participants feel more connected to themselves and others. 

ADDING INDIAN ELEMENTS

India’s foray into dance therapy for Parkinson’s began in 2009 when the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society in Mumbai began exploring how to localize insights from global dance-for-PD programmes like those in US and Europe. “At that point, Argentine tango and salsa were being studied abroad for their impact on Parkinson’s symptoms," recalls Mehta. “We began asking: what can we draw from Indian traditions? Could we adapt classical and folk forms to support motor and emotional rehabilitation here?" A pilot program launched in 2010 involved dance sessions twice a week for three months. “Despite Mumbai’s monsoons and travel difficulties, no one dropped out. That told us we were onto something deeply needed," she says.

Today, several community centres in India run movement therapy programs incorporating Bharatanatyam, Garba, Koodiyattam, and somatic movement. Each session is crafted around rhythm, repetition, and responsiveness—participants are invited to improvise, co-create, and move within their own capacity. One of the most powerful illustrations of dance therapy’s impact comes from Kshetrapal, who recounts working with a man she calls “JT", a retired banker in the UK.

“When JT first arrived, he barely spoke. His gait was hesitant, eyes downcast. He wanted to participate, but fear held him back." Instead of pushing him to join the group, Kshetrapal watched as he arranged chairs in a circle around himself, forming what she calls “a privacy chamber." “He was terrified of falling," she says. “But inside that circle, he began to move, first just foot taps, then arm lifts. Eventually, he started adding flourishes likes claps, turns, even a twirl. That was the moment I saw something being born in him. It wasn’t just about physical function, it was about reclaiming dignity."

BUILDING A MOVEMENT VOCABULARY

Unlike physical therapy, dance movement therapy (DMT) isn’t prescriptive. Participants aren’t told to complete a certain set of movements – they’re encouraged to explore what movement means for them now. “We’re not just correcting gait or posture," says Mehta. “We’re helping them build a new movement vocabulary, one that integrates breath, imagery, expression, and rhythm. Over time, this becomes a language of selfhood." She explains that some participants sit and dance, others stand with support, and some move more freely. What’s universal is that each person is treated as a creator, not a patient. 

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Both Kshetrapal and Mehta emphasize that movement-based therapy doesn’t just help manage Parkinson’s it transforms how people relate to the disease. “In Western medicine, trauma is often addressed after it takes root," says Kshetrapal. “But Parkinson’s brings a slow-motion trauma. It is grief that unfolds over years. If we intervene early through bodywork and expressive therapy, we can soften its psychological grip." This “in-trauma" approach means engaging with patients not only after the damage is done, but while it’s happening. “We’re supporting the emotional body in real time and that makes a huge difference," she explains."

The success of Garba and other folk-based programmes underscores the importance of culturally adapted care. “If therapy feels foreign, it won’t stick," says Mehta. “But if it feels like home, if it brings back memories of festivals or childhood, it becomes healing in a deeper sense." Caregiver participation is also built into many sessions. “It’s not just therapeutic for the patient, but also for the relationship they share with the caregiver," adds Kshetrapal. “Partners learn to move together again, communicate, laugh."

Parkinson’s may be a disease of degeneration, but the stories emerging from India’s dance therapy spaces are ones of growth. “Dance gives back what Parkinson’s tries to take away: confidence, connection, joy," says Mehta. “In that way, it’s not just therapy. It’s resistance." Hari agrees. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring," he says. “But today, I danced." 

Divya Naik is an independent writer based in Mumbai.

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