Dance for the Improvement of Balance and Gait After Stroke

Stroke can drastically impact the ability to walk and keep your balance. In addition people with chronic stroke feel social isolated, become less satisfied with their walking and lose confidence in their ability to move without falling. Ned new treatments are needed for walking and balance. Dancing is a fun, social activity that has similar benefits to traditional exercise. Another benefit of dancing is the use of music, which improves mood, increases motivation and can even improve motor performance. Finally, moving in synchrony with other people during dancing can make people feel connected. We believe that dance classes can benefit people with stroke, but few studies have been done. The objective of our project is to conduct a randomized controlled trial to test whether dance can improve balance and walking for people with chronic stroke. The investigators are also interested in whether dancing improves people's confidence in their ability to do activities without losing their balance (i.e. balance confidence), decreases their feelings of isolation and increases their quality of life.