In a Mexican Town, Battling Cognitive Decline Means Getting Out on the Dance Floor

CHILPANCINGO DE LOS BRAVO, MEXICO — Elvira Moreno Abarca’s head barely reaches the shoulder of Roberto Esteban Mateo Martínez, her romantic partner. She fixes her eyes on his, places a hand on his red shirt, lifts and straightens her body, and breathes. The red print of her dress runs down to her ankles. Her feet begin to move to the beat of the live music. It is 5 p.m. in the zócalo, or main square, of Chilpancingo de los Bravo. Jueves de Danzón — Danzón Thursday — has begun.

Moreno Abarca and Mateo Martínez have 15 years of experience practicing danzón, and they have memorized many of its basic sequences, such as the cuadro (box), the lateral (sidestep), the columpio (swing) and the vuelta tornillo (screw turn). But other sequences require more effort. Sometimes they have to think hard to remember the movements. A type of danzón called the Tlacotepec, for example, is considered difficult because it requires strict attention to count the steps. Few get up the nerve to dance it, says Moreno Abarca, 66.

Danzón’s origins lie in Cuba. The earliest record of it dates back to 1879, when “Las Alturas de Simpson” by composer Miguel Faílde was recorded at Sociedad Liceo de Matanzas. He often performed longer versions of minuets or sequence dances on a grander scale, which became the genesis of danzón. In the 1920s, the music and dance captivated Mexican artists. Once they began to perform it, its popularity grew, mostly among older members of the population.

Danzón is characteristically unique. The dance is smooth and slow but also rhythmic, and the music features flutes, timbales and violins. It lends itself well to older adults while retaining its share of complexity, with elaborate steps and movements. And rather than act as a detriment, the challenges it poses have come to be seen as a blessing in Chilpancingo de los Bravo. Its older population has found in danzón an alternative therapeutic way to stay active, stimulate the brain and improve memory. For them, practicing danzón is as important as going to the doctor.

Avigaí Silva, GPJ Mexico

Couples practice danzón, a Cuban dance, at the Guerrero Institute for the Comprehensive Care of Older Adults.

Danzón’s basic choreography requires dancers to learn routines and constantly repeat steps. These activities strengthen coordination, motor function and the general health of the mind and memory. Moreno Abarca says counting “the danzón steps helps a lot because it entertains the mind, it occupies it.” And it has become an ally to Mateo Martínez in his efforts to stave off diseases like Alzheimer’s. “It nourishes my memory; it stimulates my memory. My mind is working while I listen to the music.”

Ten studies, conducted in various parts of the world with 984 participants over the age of 55, have shown that dance as therapy “significantly improved global cognitive function, memory, executive function, attention, language.”

The art behind the counting

Iván Sánchez Carranza, 87, learned danzón at 17 years old in the state of Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico. Years later, after moving to Chilpancingo de los Bravo, he promoted the genre through Club de la Tercera Edad Los Años Maravillosos. At the age of 60, he started the Jueves de Danzón events, so people could have a space to dance once a week in the city’s zócalo. Local authorities approved his idea, and the city’s oldest residents began stepping out on a new dance floor.

The coronavirus pandemic saw the suspension of all danzón activities, and many stopped participating. But since March 2022, Chilpancingo de los Bravo’s zócalo has again been humming once a week. The Ministry of Culture music band, part of the state government, has been an important facet for keeping the tradition alive. It is the band’s live melodies that call people to dance.

Each week in the zócalo, participants gather in groups, showing off their best moves and flashy attire. Some men sport dress pants with suspenders or guayabera shirts with pleated lines on the back and a flower in the lapel. Patent leather shoes shimmer on the dance floor, and hats adorned with single feathers float above them. The women wear long skirts or dresses and mid-heeled shoes, which can be simple or brilliantly embellished. Whichever it is, the footwear embodies both comfort and elegance. But one accessory that remains truly steadfast is the fans. The women flutter them during pauses while the men adjust their clothes, and the audience and dancers applaud the musicians. A part of the danzón ritual, one must stop to show appreciation to the musicians.

Avigaí Silva, GPJ Mexico

Elvira Moreno Abarca and her partner, Roberto Esteban Mateo Martínez, try not to miss the danzón classes at the Guerrero Institute for the Comprehensive Care of Older Adults.

“This dance has many benefits. The greatest benefit is physical and mental. If you don’t count [the steps], even though you might want to, the danzón will not work. They have to count their steps mentally. [The dancers] count how many steps they have until they stop,” Antonia Moreno Abarca says. She’s an empirical danzón teacher at the Guerrero Institute for the Comprehensive Care of Older Adults, the state agency that promotes the Thursday activity. In addition to being a dance teacher, she is Elvira Moreno Abarca’s sister.

Valoy Ogendi Ocampo, 61, practices her steps from Monday to Wednesday at the institute, together with Elvira Moreno Abarca and Mateo Martínez. She says danzón helps her memory. “We count the steps and dance at the same time. It’s exercise for us, too. Being together, the exercise and using the mind is a lot. For me, it’s a lot, and I like it,” Ogendi Ocampo says. She joined the group this year.

Memory problems worldwide

Memory loss to a certain degree is a natural part of aging. In time, however, more serious memory problems emerge in some people compared to others of the same age. This condition is known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Symptoms can include losing objects more frequently, forgetting to attend activities or important appointments and having more difficulty in expressing words than other people in the same age range.

Avigaí Silva, GPJ Mexico

Danzón class participants Norma Angélica Guillén Villanueva, left, and Diana Trujillo Cruz study a video to perfect their choreography during rehearsals at the Guerrero Institute for the Comprehensive Care of Older Adults.

The World Health Organization states that, worldwide, nearly 16% of older people experience MCI. In Mexico, the prevalence of MCI is 7.3%. One of the principal concerns about MCI is that, once it occurs, the risk of developing dementia increases by up to 46% in three years.

Although there is no medication or other treatment for MCI, some lifestyle factors can reduce the risk of developing it. Maintaining contact with family and friends, exercising regularly, and stimulating and training the mind — as danzón does — all help to protect the memory.

Dr. María Angelina Parrilla Mancilla works in the field of Gestalt psychotherapy, which focuses on personal development. She is also the specialization coordinator for dance therapy and movement at the Instituto de Terapia Guestalt Región Occidente, a Gestalt therapy center. “Within a therapeutic framework, the creative use of movement, specifically, favors the integration, growth and transformation of a human being through simple movements. There is a change at the neurological level. Neural connections are activated,” she says. These are the same neural connections that are triggered when learning something new, such as danzón, and thus they help to preserve the memory.

Bernarda Téllez Alanís, a neuropsychology and neuroscience researcher at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, a higher education institution in the state of Morelos, says that in the early stages of memory loss, dance and music are good tools for continued maintenance and support of the memory.

She adds that “it is important to continuously encourage dancing, listening to music, smelling the scents the person likes” to help with remembering. “The idea is to delay the progression of the disease.”

Avigaí Silva, GPJ Mexico

Older adults who attend danzón classes say the activity has improved their memory. To perform it, dancers must stay alert and count steps repeatedly.

For Elvira Moreno Abarca and Mateo Martínez, both music and dancing are important aspects of their day-to-day lives. They make an effort not to miss rehearsals or Jueves de Danzón. When they cannot attend, they listen to danzón music at home to maintain their motivation, and they even chat about the choreography.

Their fellow dancers at the institute, about 25 people and mostly older adults, have also benefited from danzón. Their doctors have recommended that they practice this dance not just to exercise their memory, but also to fight depression, stay active and have a social life.

After dancing to a couple of danzón songs in Chilpancingo de los Bravo’s zócalo, Elvira Moreno Abarca needs a rest. She asks her friends to dance with Mateo Martínez and encourages them to enjoy the afternoon. Some distance away, she contemplates her glory days and sighs. It used to be that two hours of the dance she has been practicing for 15 years were not enough to tire her out. She remembers the seven times she won danzón contests, always counting her steps.