Dance interventions are pleasant social activities that are often offered to people with dementia in care settings. Effectiveness of dance as a psychosocial intervention for people with dementia has been studied to some extent, but several methodological issues remain unexplored. This review aimed to analyze studies on dance interventions for people with dementia and to identify practice recommendations for the development of these interventions.

An electronic database search was run in December 2017 to identify records of dance interventions for people with dementia. We included all studies regardless of experimental design. Selected records were analyzed according to five criteria: study design and intentions of interventions; profile of participants and in/exclusion criteria; treatment indications and contraindications; description and performance of the interventions; and involved physical, cognitive, psychological, and social processes in dance.

Fourteen records were included in which various study designs were observed. Description and performance of the interventions were well documented. Nine practice recommendations for implementing dance interventions were identified according to primary intentions of the intervention (therapeutic or recreational): indications; contra-indications; participant profile; dosage; session sequencing; setting of intervention; observance/attendance; contributors and facilitators;and assessments.

Dance is a holistic intervention that can be implemented with a therapeutic or a leisure intention. Practice recommendations about dance interventions remain incomplete and insufficiently studied. Such recommendations could be helpful for clinicians to implement dance interventions in facilities where they work to better target people who could benefit from them, and for researchers to develop research in this field.