Salsa Dance Research Articles

Moving together-benefits of a 12-week online dance training intervention on static and dynamic postural stability and gait speed in older women: an exploratory pre-post study.

Physical inactivity negatively affects gait performance and postural stability in older adults resulting in a higher risk of fall accidents. Previous research has shown that in-person dance training improves various aspects of balance and lower-extremity function, however, little is known about the potential benefits of dance training delivered online on variables used for fall risk stratification in older adults. We aimed to explore the benefits of a 12-week online dance training intervention on static and dynamic postural stability and gait speed in older women. Forty-five older adults (44 women) were included in this exploratory pre-post study. The 12-week dance intervention consisted of two weekly 60-min classes in contemporary (improvisation) and salsa dance delivered online through Zoom video calls. Static and dynamic postural stability was assessed using the center of pressure (CoP) area and velocity (force platform), and the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), respectively. 10-m gait speed was measured using photo gates. Before and after comparisons were performed using paired sample t-tests. Thirty-two older women completed the study. There were no significant changes for static postural stability assessed by CoP area or velocity (P ≥ 0.218, Cohen d ≤ 0.234). The Mini-BESTest total score was significantly improved at post-intervention (23.88 ± 3.01) compared to baseline (22.56 ± 1.41, P = 0.007, d = 0.52). 10-m gait speed was significantly faster at post-intervention (1.68 ± 0.25 m/s) compared to baseline (1.57 ± 0.22 m/s, P < 0.001, d = 0.737). Although some caution is needed due to the uncontrolled study design, the results indicate that online dance training has a small effect on static postural stability but may be beneficial for gait speed and in particular dynamic postural control among older women. While the absolute increase in gait speed suggests limited clinical relevance, the change in Mini-BESTest score may reflect a clinically meaningful enhancement of dynamic postural control.

Flourishing in Salsa Dance: A Qualitative Investigation of Aesthetic, Artistic, and Creative Contributions

Salsa has been referred to as the world’s most popular partnered social Latin dance and is likely health-enhancing when participated in for leisure and socialisation purposes. We are unaware of any qualitative research that has explored salsa dance, specifically, through an aesthetic, artistic, and creative practice lens. In this research, we sought to interpret how these elements of dance may contribute to a sense of flourishing, or holistic well-being, as described by Seligman (2011) in his PERMA model, in a positive psychology context. We designed an anonymous fully open-ended online qualitative survey to explore the experience of salsa as it relates to dancers’ flourishing. Forty-one salsa dancers completed the survey. Their average experience level was 11 years of dance practice in salsa. We used the reflexive thematic analysis approach of Braun and Clarke (2021) to analyse our data. Our actively constructed themes (A dance of positivity; Dance's cognitive embrace; Healthful bodies in harmony; and Steps, hearts, and spirits coming together) highlighted emotional and physical benefits, cognitive and learning aspects, health and wellness, and community building within the data. We believe these findings illustrate that salsa dance does indeed foster a sense of flourishing in experienced dancers within a community dance setting. The practical applications of our research in terms of promoting dance for health are discussed.

You can't standardize salsa dance so that one (sexy) size fits all

You can't standardize salsa dance so that one (sexy) size fits all

The Effect of Twelve-Week Karate and Salsa Dance Training on the Physical Fitness Performance of University Students

This study was performed to determine the effect of 12-weeks Karate and Salsa Dance training on the physical fitness performances of university students. A total of 124 students (age: 21.35 ± 1.59 year; height: 1.70 ± 0.08 cm; body weight: 67.1 ± 10.78 kg) have voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were divided into three groups using a random coin toss. The numbers of Karate group (KG), the Salsa Dance Group (SDG) and Control Group (COG) are 43 people (20 female, 23 male), 40 people (17 female, 23 male) and 41 people (12 female, 29 male), respectively. Technical training programs including two days a week and 90 minutes a day for 12 weeks were applied to the KG and SDG members accepting to the study. Body weight, height measurement, BMI calculation, bass stick balance test, handgrip strength test in upper and lower extremity strength measurements, wall squat leg strength test and plate tapping test for movement speed were performed to all participants before and after 12 weeks training. Since the data did not show normal distribution, Kruskal Wallis test was used in more than two groups and Mann Whitney-U test was used in binary comparisons. Looking at the results of KG and SDG, it was found that the BMI and muscle strength values of KG were better than the SDG values (p= .00). It was determined that the static balance values of SDG were higher than KG (p= 0.00). However, there was no significant difference between the movement speed of both groups (p&amp;gt; .05). All physical fitness parameters of both groups were found to be better than COG. We can suggest that sedentary individuals can benefit from karate technique training in gaining muscle strength. In addition, we can emphasize that it may be more appropriate to use salsa dance training in the development of static balance.

Dynamical Deep Generative Latent Modeling of 3D Skeletal Motion

In this paper, we propose a Bayesian switching dynamical model for segmentation of 3D pose data over time that uncovers interpretable patterns in the data and is generative. Our model decomposes highly correlated skeleton data into a set of few spatial basis of switching temporal processes in a low-dimensional latent framework. We parameterize these temporal processes with regard to a switching deep vector autoregressive prior in order to accommodate both multimodal and higher-order nonlinear inter-dependencies. This results in a dynamical deep generative latent model that parses the meaningful intrinsic states in the dynamics of 3D pose data using approximate variational inference, and enables a realistic low-level dynamical generation and segmentation of complex skeleton movements. Our experiments on four biological motion data containing bat flight, salsa dance, walking, and golf datasets substantiate superior performance of our model in comparison with the state-of-the-art methods.

A Combination of Web-based and In-Person Training Reduced Fall Accidents in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Fall accidents in older adults are associated with reduced quality of life, personal health issues, and earlier deaths. Previous studies have found that both physical and cognitive parameters influence the risk of falling in older adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020-2021) in Denmark, web-based training was the safest option for training, although its effectiveness was uncertain. Objective The purpose of this stratified, block randomized trial was to examine the effect of two types of web-based and in-person training—salsa dance and regular fitness circuit—in two training groups in comparison with a control group. Methods A total of 78 older adults (9 male and 69 female; mean age 70.4, SD 4.4 years; mean height 165.2, SD 6.8 cm; and mean weight 65.7, SD 11.9 kg) completed the 6-months training period: dance (n=25), fitness (n=23), and control group (n=30). Accidental falls were registered during the follow-up test. Participants in the two training groups were assigned to 1-hour training sessions twice a week for 6 months. Prior to the pandemic, training was administered by a skilled instructor at an activity center in the municipality or a dance studio. Following the pandemic, dance training was administered through a web-based meeting platform, whereas fitness training was guided by a video. Adherence to the training was collected weekly. Participants in the control group were encouraged to continue their everyday life. Results Both intervention groups had fewer accidental falls during the 6 months intervention compared with the control group (control group: 9 falls; dance: 4 falls, fitness: 0 falls; chi-square: P&lt;.05). In total, adherence to fitness training was 72.6%, and it was 86.9% for dance. However, adherence to the web-based dance training was 95% (342 dance training hours of possible 360 dance training hours). Conclusions A combination of a 6-months web-based and in-person training (for dance and fitness) reduced the number of accidental falls in older adults. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03683849; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03683849

Leaning into life with somatic sensitivity: Lessons learned from world-class experts of partnered practices

Partnered practices reveal somatic insights into leaning-in and prompt us to consider how we can move responsively and interactively with others. Particular experiences of relational leaning are described through a motion-sensing phenomenological approach framed by the authors’ Interactive Function2Flow model of somatic education. With sensitivity to movement function, form, feeling and flow, this relational leaning is explored through the slow and controlled balances of acroyoga, the gentle forward and backwards lunges of push hands tai chi, the fast paced, rhythmical walking of salsa dance, and the effervescent gait transitions of equestrian arts. We consider the act of leaning-in and the relational awareness of each partnered practice in terms of the life lessons of connecting with a partner, responding to conflict with composure, giving less or more of oneself in a given situation and, in so doing, moving with enhanced motion-sensitivity into a state of interactive flow.

Technical Note: Quantifying music-dance synchrony during salsa dancing with a deep learning-based 2D pose estimator

Dance interventions hold promise for improving gait and balance in people with neurological conditions. It is possible that synchronization of movement to the music is one of the mechanisms through which dance bestows physical benefits. This technical note will describe a novel method using a deep learning-based 2D pose estimator: OpenPose, alongside beat analysis of music to quantify movement-music synchrony during salsa dancing. This method has four components: i) camera setup and recording, ii) tempo/downbeat analysis and waveform cleanup, iii) OpenPose estimation and data extraction, and iv) synchronization analysis. Four participants performed a solo basic salsa step continuously for 90 s to a salsa track while their movements and the music were recorded with a webcam. Two conditions were recorded for each participant: one in which they danced on the beat of the music and one where they did not. This data was then extracted from OpenPose and analyzed. Median asynchrony values highlighted differences between participants with and without dance training and between on– and off-beat conditions, indicating that this method may be an effective means to quantify a dancer’s asynchrony while performing a basic salsa step.

Becoming InterActive for Life: Mobilizing Relational Knowledge for Physical Educators.

The overarching purpose of the InterActive for Life (IA4L) project is to mobilize relational knowledge of partnered movement practices for physical education practitioners. Through a participatory, motion-sensing phenomenological methodology, relational knowledge gleaned from world class experts in salsa dance, equestrian arts, push hands Tai Chi and acroyoga, and analyzed through the Function2Flow conceptual model, was shared with Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students. They, in turn, made sense of the ways these experts cultivate relational connections through a process of designing interactive games suitable for physical education curricula. The kinetic, kinesthetic, affective and energetic dynamics of these games were then shared through professional development workshops, mentoring, and open-access resources. Each phase of the IA4L project invites us to depart from the predominance of individualistic ways of conceiving and teaching movement and instead explore what it means to be attuned to the pulse of life as we break away from tendencies to objectify movement as something our bodies do or that is done to them. Consideration is given to the ways in which meaningful relational connections are formed in and through movement and how this learning prioritizes the InterActive Functions, Forms, Feelings and Flows of moving purposefully, playfully and expressively with others. In so doing, what this research offers is an understanding of how knowledge of an essentially motion-sensitive kind, which can breathe life into physical education curricula, can be actively and interactively mobilized.

Algorithm for the Comparison of Human Periodic Movements Using Wearable Devices.

In the context of teaching-learning of motor skills in a virtual environment, videos are generally used. The person who wants to learn a certain movement watches a video and tries to perform the activity. In this sense, feedback is rarely thought of. This article proposes an algorithm in which two periodic movements are compared, the one carried out by an expert and the one carried out by the person who is learning, in order to determine how closely these two movements are performed and to provide feedback from them. The algorithm starts from the capture of data through a wearable device that yields data from an accelerometer; in this case, the data of the expert and the data of the person who is learning are captured in a dataset of salsa dance steps. Adjustments are made to the data in terms of Pearson iterations, synchronization, filtering, and normalization, and DTW, linear regression, and error analysis are used to make the corresponding comparison of the two datasets. With the above, it is possible to determine if the cycles of the two signals coincide and how closely the learner's movements resemble those of the expert.

Fostering a Culture of Consent in Social Dance Communities

ABSTRACT This article examines how an affirmative consent model can be applied in social dance contexts and addresses how social dance teachers can foster a culture of consent in their classes and communities. This model is based on legal and cultural activists’ efforts to reduce incidents of sexual assault by shifting rape culture to consent culture. The author shares consent exercises developed in the context of a university salsa dance course and includes student perspectives and responses to illustrate their impact in empowering students to honor personal boundaries while engaging in touch-based social dancing. Practical suggestions are offered for dancers, teachers, and community groups that can help shift the culture in social dance communities toward normalizing open and proactive discussions around personal boundaries.

In Search of Sabrosura and Sabor: possible connections between anthropological methods and performance

ABSTRACT The goal of this article is to make connections between anthropological methods and performance based on data collected in research about salsa dancing in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The text describes changes in the approach to salsa and focuses on two different dance styles practiced in two ballroom dance schools. The literature on salsa tends to favor its sound structure, leaving aside other sensory stimuli. In contrast, this article presents an ethnographic approach to salsa dancing based on notions of performance. Thus, the purpose is to contribute to dance research from an anthropological perspective.

The power of interactive flow in salsa dance: a motion-sensing phenomenological inquiry featuring two-time world champion, Anya Katsevman

ABSTRACT What might it be like to sense one’s motile power as a follower in salsa dance, particularly in moments when flow manifests? Does a follower simply go along with the lead’s flow or does a different kind of flow emerge? Such questions guided this motion-sensing phenomenological (MSP) inquiry into the felt sense of power experienced in the movements of interactive flow that features two-time world salsa champion, coach, and international judge, Anya Katsevman. Over the course of four years, interviews, observations and coaching sessions were analysed through theories purported by dance phenomenologist Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, Daniel Stern, a psychologist who inspired much of Sheets-Johnstone’s writing on the primacy of movement, and the radical phenomenology of Michel Henry who provides a philosophy upon which one may frame the phenomenological ‘search’ for meaning in kinaesthetic terms. The conceptual structure that guided the motion-sensing gathering of data and analysis was the interdisciplinary Function2Flow (F2F) model with its constitutive dimensions of movement Function, Form, Feeling and Flow. As such, the MSP analysis organized in accordance to the F2F model afforded the emergence of micro nuances, detailed physical sensations of this practice, within this macro themed structure. Hence, in detailing the bodily functions and forms of the nuanced gestural communication in salsa dance, with particular attention on the motile sense of power experienced by a follower, a physical pathway to better understanding existential feelings of interactive flow emerged.

SALSA DANSÇILARINDA KİNEZYOBANT UYGULAMASININ DENGEYE OLAN AKUT ETKİSİ

Purpose: Non-professional salsa dance is a social, physical activity highly in demand. Since it is a vigorous physical activity, dancers are prone to have an injury during a dance performance, mainly in the ankle joint. In this study, the acute effects of kinesiotaping (KT) on balance in salsa dancers were investigated. Methods: This study was a single-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, in which a total of 20 amateur salsa dancers (mean age=26.35±4.74 years), voluntarily participated. Participants were divided into two groups randomly by using a sealed envelope randomization method: KT Group (n=10) and Placebo-KT Group (n=10). A muscle correction technique that covers the ankle and peroneal muscle group were applied to KT Group one day after pre-tests. An "I" shaped placebo KT application was performed for the Placebo-KT Group. Flamingo balance test (FBT) and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) were used to assess balance performance. All tests were repeated immediately after the application. Results: In the intragroup analysis of the KT Group, SEBT scores showed a statistically significant increase (p&amp;lt;0.05) while there was no increase in FBT scores (p&amp;gt;0.05). We found no statistically significant difference in the intragroup analysis of Placebo-KT Group and the intergroup analysis of KT Group and Placebo-KT Group for both SEBT and FBT scores (p&amp;gt;0.05). Conclusion: While KT application has been found to be effective in improving dynamic balance, it was not effective in improving static balance performance.

Salsa dance learning evaluation and motion analysis in gamified virtual reality environment

Learning couple dance such as salsa is challenging as it requires to understand and assimilate all the dance skills (guidance, rhythm, style) correctly. Salsa is traditionally learned by attending a dancing class with a teacher and practice with a partner, the difficulty to access such classes though, and the variability of dance environment can impact the learning process. Understanding how people learn using a virtual reality platform could bring interesting knowledge in motion analysis and can be the first step toward a complementary learning system at home. In this paper, we propose an interactive learning application in the form of a virtual reality game, that aims to help the user to improve its salsa dancing skills. The application was designed upon previous literature and expert discussion and has different components that simulate salsa dance: A virtual partner with interactive control to dance with, visual and haptic feedback, and a game mechanic with dance tasks. This application is tested on a two-class panel of 20 regular and 20 non-dancers, and their learning is evaluated and analyzed through the extraction of Musical Motion Features and the Laban Motion Analysis system. Both motion analysis frameworks were compared prior and after training and show a convergence of the profile of non-dancer toward the profile of regular dancers, which validates the learning process. The work presented here has profound implications for future studies of motion analysis, couple dance learning, and human-human interaction.

Straight(ening) Salsa? The heterosexual matrix, romance and disciplinary spaces

ABSTRACT How do salsa dance spaces reproduce heteronormativity? Drawing on interview data with heterosexual and lesbian-gay identified salsa dancers from England and Switzerland, this article explores how heterosexuality is constructed and legitimised in salsa dance leisure spaces. Aligned with Judith Butler’s conceptualisation of the heterosexual matrix, it analyses how dance studio settings allow for the reproduction of heterosexuality as a central axiom of salsa. Understanding space as performative, the article further illustrates how salsa classes and competitions work as hierarchical disciplinary sites where bodies are trained and normalised. This is explored through a Foucauldian approach to surveillance and discipline to render visible the exclusive technologies of power that heteronormalise salsa dance spaces.

Dance Intervention for Mexican Family Caregivers of Children With Developmental Disability: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: There are 7.1 million people living with a disability in Mexico. Of these individuals, 7% are children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Mexican women caring for children with a developmental disability are at risk of psychological stress, which may be prevented with physical activity such as dance. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to examine (a) the feasibility of implementing the dance intervention, (b) the mothers' satisfaction with the intervention, and (c) the changes in stress level experienced by the mothers on completion of the intervention. Method: A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The Salsa dance intervention was given in nine 60-minute sessions, twice a week in Veracruz, Mexico. The sample included 14 mothers of children with disabilities. The outcome, stress level, was measured with the validated Questionnaire of Perceived Stress. Feasibility of intervention implementation was maintained by having the interventionist follow the interventionist manual. Satisfaction was assessed by the Satisfaction with Therapy and Therapist Scale. Results: The intervention was feasible as all participants completed the intervention sessions. They reported high satisfaction (100%) with the intervention and interventionist. At posttest, participants showed reduced stress levels (p = .028). Discussion: The dance intervention is promising in reducing women's stress levels and worth further development in order to benefit the Mexican women caring for children with developmental disability and experiencing stress. Nurses can implement the Salsa dance intervention with the Mexican population while improving the clients' retention, outcomes, and overall satisfaction.

Salsa dance and perceived mental health benefits: a servant leadership theory-driven study

The purpose of the current study was to assess servant leadership dimensions, perceived mental health benefits, and correlations between the two following an eight-week servant leadership theory-driven salsa dance programme taught to novice learners at a West Midlands, UK university. Upon completion of the salsa dance programme (frequency = once per week, intensity = moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, time = 90 minutes, type = group-based Cuban style salsa dance), a paper questionnaire was administered to the participants to complete in person. The questionnaire contained 18 items related to servant leadership dimensions (authenticity, empowerment, humility, standing back, and stewardship) in terms of the teaching and learning of salsa dance and four items related to perceived mental health benefits (mood enhancement, self-confidence, skill mastery, and social well-being). Authenticity and stewardship were rated higher in females when compared to males. Differences were found between perceived mental health benefits in both females and males with mood enhancement rated highest in both genders. This is the first study we are aware of to have applied principles of servant leadership in the teaching of salsa dance as a leisure-time physical activity. Servant leadership may have facilitated the high perceived mental health benefits observed.

Injury Surveillance of Nonprofessional Salsa Dance.

The investigation sought to (1)establish the extent of injuries, (2)determine the odds of sustaining an injury, and (3)calculate the injury incidence rate in nonprofessional salsa dance. Salsa dancers completed an anonymous web-based survey containing 11 demographic background and 10 (1y retrospective) injury history questions. The response rate was 77%. The final sample of respondents included 303 women and 147 men, of which 22% and 14%, respectively, sustained ≥1 injury during salsa dance in the past year. The odds of injury was 2.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-3.50) times greater (P < .05) for women than for men. Age, body mass index, and salsa dance experience were also found to be significant (all Ps < .05) predictors of injury. The injury incidence rate for women and men was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.9-1.4) and 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3-0.7) injuries per 1000 hours of exposure, respectively. This is the first study to have described salsa dancers in terms of their injury history profile. Results indicate that the likelihood of sustaining an injury during this physical activity is similar to that of ballroom, but lower than that of Spanish, aerobic, and Zumba®, dance.

A Sampling Approach to Generating Closely Interacting 3D Pose-Pairs from 2D Annotations.

We introduce a data-driven method to generate a large number of plausible, closely interacting 3D human pose-pairs, for a given motion category, e.g., wrestling or salsa dance. With much difficulty in acquiring close interactions using 3D sensors, our approach utilizes abundant existing video data which cover many human activities. Instead of treating the data generation problem as one of reconstruction, either through 3D acquisition or direct 2D-to-3D data lifting from video annotations, we present a solution based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling. Given a motion category and a set of video frames depicting the motion with the 2D pose-pair in each frame annotated, we start the sampling with one or few seed 3D pose-pairs which are manually created based on the target motion category. The initial set is then augmented by MCMC sampling around the seeds, via the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm and guided by a probability density function (PDF) that is defined by two terms to bias the sampling towards 3D pose-pairs that are physically valid and plausible for the motion category. With a focus on efficient sampling over the space of close interactions, rather than pose spaces, we develop a novel representation called interaction coordinates (IC) to encode both poses and their interactions in an integrated manner. Plausibility of a 3D pose-pair is then defined based on the IC and with respect to the annotated 2D pose-pairs from video. We show that our sampling-based approach is able to efficiently synthesize a large volume of plausible, closely interacting 3D pose-pairs which provide a good coverage of the input 2D pose-pairs.