Title : Neurotango: The dance of social inclusion & brain connection
Abstract:
Neurotango is a therapeutic framework that integrates the principles of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) with the rituals, interpersonal dynamics, and kinetic qualities of Argentine tango, aiming to enhance communication, social interaction, and psychophysical regulation in neurodiverse populations. DMT, as an innovative approach to mental health treatment, incorporates various social dances—such as tango, waltz, swing, and salsa—to promote processes of psychophysical integration. This study seeks to answer the following question: How does the use of tango within the DMT framework facilitate social interaction in individuals with disabilities?
The method is structured around six core components—movement, space, rhythm, contact, synchrony, and emotions—each of which is inherent to social tango practice. These elements support the creation of therapeutic experiences that stimulate sensory awareness, bodily consciousness, and readiness for relational engagement. The tango embrace, framed ethically as conscious and non-eroticized touch, enables experiences of support, boundaries, and tonic regulation, which are particularly relevant for individuals with communicational or motor challenges associated with intellectual, motor, or visual disabilities. Likewise, the predictable 2/4 rhythm and the need for coordinated partner movement act as psychomotor organizers that facilitate gait, joint attention, and emotional regulation. The study population consists of young adults with intellectual disabilities, in some cases associated with motor, visual, or autism spectrum conditions. The chosen methodology is qualitative, appropriate for the study of social phenomena due to its flexibility and its capacity to integrate the researcher’s subjectivity through narrative analysis of video recordings. Results indicate adaptive changes consistent with disability literature, including the reutilization of capabilities, reconnection with the body, and expansion of relational patterns. From a neuroscientific perspective, the intervention is supported by findings on mirror neurons, kinesthetic empathy, and intersubjectivity, highlighting how imitation, mirroring, and interpersonal synchrony foster emotional connection—even in populations with significant communicational challenges. This approach aligns with the neurodiversity paradigm, which shifts the focus from deficit to capacity, recognizing the talents, rhythms, and unique modes of being that characterize neurodiverse individuals. In sum, Neurotango constitutes an innovative therapeutic proposal that brings together the expressive potential of dance, the relational value of the embrace, contributions from neuroscience, and the principles of somatic psychotherapy. Its central aim is to transform social interaction, expand communicational possibilities, and strengthen the sense of belonging in neurodiverse individuals, offering a sensitive and effective pathway toward psychophysical well-being.
Keywords: Neurotango, Dance Movement Therapy, neurodiversity, mirror neurons, Argentine tango.
