Effect of Dance Experience on Loading Patterns Among Ballroom Dancers

Introduction: Ballroom dance participation is growing due to its competitive, social, and health benefits. Despite its popularity, there is limited information regarding the biomechanics of ballroom dance. This study aimed to quantify the vertical ground reaction force and its loading rate during two common rhythm ballroom dance steps, and to determine the variance of these variables across three levels of ballroom dancers. Methods: Fifty-six participants (20 inexperienced, 18 recreational, and 18 professional) performed nine common American rhythm ballroom dance elements from the American Rumba box step and the foundational step of the Cha Cha Cha on a vinyl dance floor over two embedded force plates. The Kruskal-Wallis test with experience level as the independent variable was used to compare variables among dance levels. Levene's test for equal variances was used to determine if the variance among the dance levels differed. Results: Results indicated that both the vertical ground reaction force and the rate of loading are associated with the dancing experience level for eight of the nine dance elements (P-values ranging between <0.001 and 0.040 for the ground reaction force and between <0.001 and 0.001 for the rate of loading). Forces were highest in the inexperienced level and lowest in the professional level. This finding was pronounced when stepping backward and leftward. Additionally, the variance in the force-related measurements was smaller among more experienced groups than their less-experienced counterparts. Conclusion: These findings provide an initial understanding of the kinetics underlying the movement patterns of foundational rhythm ballroom dance. This study is a starting point for future research to better understand other ballroom dance patterns and explore the mechanisms of ballroom dance-related musculoskeletal injuries.