dance 4 your life: exploring the health and well-being implications of a contemporary dance intervention for female adolescents

The purpose of this study was to assess the physiological and psychological impact of contemporary dance classes on adolescent females. Fifty-five females, aged 14 were recruited from secondary schools in the UK. The intervention constituted a program of contemporary dance classes with an emphasis on building muscular strength. Full ethics approval was granted by a Higher Education institutional Research Ethics Committee. A series of physiological and psychological assessments were undertaken pre and post the dance intervention: upper body strength, flexibility, aerobic fitness, self-esteem, intrinsic motivation, and attitudes toward dance and group physical activities were measured using standard procedures. A paired t-test was used to analyse changes between pre- to post-testing. There was a statistical increase in areas of physical fitness. Aerobic capacity and upper body strength increased significanlty (p=0.001 and 0.002 respectively). No significant change occurred in flexibility. Self Esteem statistically increased (p=0.01). No change occurred in Intrinsic Motivation, however motivation scores were higher than average at pre-test stage. Attitudes towards dance were very positive both pre- and post-intervention. This study showed that dance can statistically improve components of physical fitness, and psychological well-being. Participants demonstrated positive attitudes towards dance.