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© Allen McInnis/Montreal GazetteNorma Di Maulo, 61, and Cam Cornier improve their balance, posture and co-ordination by taking tango lessons.
Looks like 82-year-old Cloris Leachman, a favourite cast member of this season's Dancing with the Stars, is on to something.

According to a study led by Patricia McKinley of McGill University's school of physical and occupational therapy, dance is beneficial for seniors.

McKinley's research focused on Argentine tango, a style born in Buenos Aires and known for its long, deliberate steps, outstretched arms and close contact between partners.

"I started doing tango myself after (age) 50, and I realized that the exercises I did in learning tango would be perfect for seniors who need to improve balance," said McKinley.

Anxious to test her theory, McKinley recruited 30 people between the ages of 62 and 91 who took either a tango class or went walking twice a week for 10 weeks. At the end of Week 10, the tango group outperformed the walking group in all measures of balance, posture, motor co-ordination and cognition.

Why is the tango so effective? McKinley says most seniors walk with a shortened stride and have difficulty moving backwards, laterally and with speed. They also don't balance themselves well over their centre of gravity.

Tango seems to improve all these deficiencies, and in record time. Despite the results posted by the dancers, McKinley is quick to give walking props as both a form of exercise and as a way to improve balance.

"Walking over the long run will probably improve balance, but not as quickly as tango," she explained.

With one out of three older Canadians suffering a fall annually, more and more balance training classes are being offered in community recreation and senior centres from coast to coast. Most, however, have a distinctive fitness feel, which is why McKinley is so excited about adding a dance component to the balance training mix. Tango may be just what's needed to appeal to those who shun traditional exercise options.

"It's a carrot for them," she said. "Learning to tango is challenging, interesting and, best of all, earns bragging rights."

The long strides, intricate footwork and upright posture that are characteristic of tango is what worked magic on the seniors in McKinley's study. But those weren't the only pluses. The seniors loved the music and sultry movement patterns that made tango seem less like exercise and more like fun.

So popular were the tango classes among the seniors, the study participants who were randomly selected to be part of the walking group had to be enticed to participate by the offer of interesting walking routes and their own set of dance lessons at the end of the 10-week trial.

Norma Di Maulo, 61, knows all about the benefits of tango. As someone who has always chosen dance as her preferred form of exercise, she's not surprised by the results of McKinley's study. She signed up for classes at a Montreal tango studio a year ago and claims that the Argentine style of dance is different from other types of social dance.

"It's very creative, sensual and inspirational," Di Maulo said. It's those very aspects of tango that makes the dance challenging both physically and mentally said McKinley.

In fact, many of her colleagues in physical and occupational therapy questioned whether the intricacies of the dance would be too much for frail seniors, but that wasn't the case, McKinley noted: "They rose to the challenge."

That being said, the group met twice instead of once a week both to maximize fitness benefits and to help the seniors commit the moves to memory. The more the group practised the better they became. And the better they became, the more they loved to tango.

Choosing the right instructor is instrumental in teaching such a complex dance to seniors. Patience is important. The group needed lots of repetition and specialized instruction, especially since they started out less steady on their feet than younger dancers.

The other important factor in the success of the program is realizing that, as is the case with many senior activities, the women tend to outnumber the men. Again, here is where a good instructor is important. According to McKinley, leading takes more cognitive skill than following, so the women were encouraged to dance together and change roles often, making it unnecessary to have an equal number of men and women on the dance floor.

That doesn't mean that men aren't welcome. A few young male dancers were piloted into the class to lend a helping hand and accelerate the learning process. Turns out their presence also spiced things up a bit. Pretty soon the women were replacing their sweat suits and sensible shoes for dresses, jewelry and heels. Tango class was no longer just exercise; it was an event worthy of putting on the Ritz.

It just goes to show you that sneakers aren't always a prerequisite to getting a good workout. Nor is a traditional fitness class that includes mats, weights and an exercise ball.

Combine movement with the right music, a good instructor and just enough creativity and physical challenge to make it interesting and you've got what it takes to get in shape -- no matter what your age.