I haven't done too much with particle instances, but unless there is a way to pin the instances down, so that the force fields don't blow my geo around, I don't think it would work.

I have, however, managed to get a IK Spline rig working. I just rig up the original piece of geo, and all the instances are influenced by the rig. Now I can animate the CV's on the curve, and it'll give me a bit of motion. Unless I take the time to paint the weights, I don't think I'll have a lot of motion, but a little swaying will add a nice touch I think.