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.