While we have heard of the benefits of dancing tango to help ward off health concerns such as dementia here and help to improve cardiac fitness here, studies are being undertaken by New England University Honors student Rosa Pinniger to find the positive effects of dance – specifically the tango – upon people suffering from depression. The trial looks at how concentration on your dancing can help fight off negative thoughts and depression.

Pinniger also suggests that the state reached while dancing tango is much like meditation

“While you’re doing tango you can only be in the present – you really have to focus, concentrate, and it doesn’t allow your thoughts to drive into your mind,” she said.

“And this is one of the things of meditation, the other thing is that for example in meditation people usually use their breathing, and this is something that people have done all their lives – they know how to breathe but they need to be aware of their breathing and they use it.

“The same with the tango – everyone walks and as long as you can walk you can tango, and this is the truth.

“The only thing is that usually we are not aware of how we walk and in tango you have to.”

Article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/28/2288549.htm

Link to original UNE call for volunteers:
http://blog.une.edu.au/news/2008/04/16/tango-trial-aims-to-dance-depression-away/