Motor abilities necessary to be successful at dancing

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the relation between motor abilities and the rate of success in dancing of 85 students of the Faculty of Kinesiology. Efficiency in dancing was represented by the marks given to the subjects by five experts after performing each dance on the basis of a video recording. The variables’ sample to determine motor abilities consisted of the results achieved by measuring motor abilities of coordination, realization of rhythmical structures, balance, movement frequency, flexibility and explosive strength. By means of regression analysis a statistically significant relationship was established between a predictor set of the students’ motor abilities and the overall dancing efficiency criterion (R = 0.67), the predictor set and the folk dances efficiency criterion (R = 0.67) and the predictor set and the social dances’ efficiency criterion (R = 0.62) (p < 0.01). Predictors with the highest rate of the relationship of the predictor set with the overall dancing efficiency criterion and folk dancing efficiency are drumming without the rhythm and side-steps with a 360° turn. The students with a higher level of rhythmic abilities and coordination will be more successful in performing dancing structures.