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PubMed1996

Metabolic and hormonal responses to low-impact aerobic dance during pregnancy.

This study examined the plasma glucose, free fatty acids (NEFA), lactate, triglyceride, cortisol, and insulin responses of pregnant women (22-28 wk) to a 40-min aerobic dance program and 40-min treadmill walking at similar heart rate intensities. The heart rates during exercise averaged 135 +/- 5 bt.min-1 for both trials. Immediate post-exercise plasma glucose levels were lower than resting levels for both exercise trials (P < 0.05), and remained below resting levels 20 min after exercise. Plasma triglycerides and NEFA were increased immediately post-exercise (P < 0.05), and returned toward rest 20 min after exercise. The NEFA responses at the end of the walking trials were significantly greater than at the end of the aerobic dance trials (P < 0.05). For both trials, immediate post-exercise plasma insulin levels were below resting levels (P < 0.05) and remained attenuated 20 min post-exercise. Plasma cortisol concentrations were unchanged throughout the aerobic dance trial. However, a mean increase of 105 nmol.l-1 immediately post-exercise was evident during the walking trials (P < 0.05). The results suggest that 40 min of walking or aerobic dance reduces blood glucose but does not cause hypoglycemia. Further, the results suggest that 40 min of walking or aerobic dance does not expose the mother to serious metabolic consequences that might adversely affect the fetus.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A control system for a flexible spine belly-dancing humanoid.

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in building anthropomorphic robots. Research on humanoid robotics has focused on the control of manipulators and walking machines. The contributions of the torso towards ordinary movements (such as walking, dancing, attracting mates, and maintaining balance) have been neglected by almost all humanoid robotic researchers. We believe that the next generation of humanoid robots will incorporate a flexible spine in the torso. To meet the challenge of controlling this kind of high-degree-of-freedom robot, a new control architecture is necessary. Inspired by the rhythmic movements commonly exhibited in lamprey locomotion as well as belly dancing, we designed a controller for a simulated belly-dancing robot using the lamprey central pattern generator. Experimental results show that the proposed lamprey central pattern generator module could potentially generate plausible output patterns, which could be used for all the possible spine motions with minimized control parameters. For instance, in the case of planar spine motions, only three input parameters are required. Using our controller, the simulated robot is able to perform complex torso movements commonly seen in belly dancing as well. Our work suggests that the proposed controller can potentially be a suitable controller for a high-degree-of-freedom, flexible spine humanoid robot. Furthermore, it allows us to gain a better understanding of belly dancing by synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

AVPR1a and SLC6A4 gene polymorphisms are associated with creative dance performance.

Dancing, which is integrally related to music, likely has its origins close to the birth of Homo sapiens, and throughout our history, dancing has been universally practiced in all societies. We hypothesized that there are differences among individuals in aptitude, propensity, and need for dancing that may partially be based on differences in common genetic polymorphisms. Identifying such differences may lead to an understanding of the neurobiological basis of one of mankind's most universal and appealing behavioral traits--dancing. In the current study, 85 current performing dancers and their parents were genotyped for the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4: promoter region HTTLPR and intron 2 VNTR) and the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a: promoter microsatellites RS1 and RS3). We also genotyped 91 competitive athletes and a group of nondancers/nonathletes (n = 872 subjects from 414 families). Dancers scored higher on the Tellegen Absorption Scale, a questionnaire that correlates positively with spirituality and altered states of consciousness, as well as the Reward Dependence factor in Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, a measure of need for social contact and openness to communication. Highly significant differences in AVPR1a haplotype frequencies (RS1 and RS3), especially when conditional on both SLC6A4 polymorphisms (HTTLPR and VNTR), were observed between dancers and athletes using the UNPHASED program package (Cocaphase: likelihood ratio test [LRS] = 89.23, p = 0.000044). Similar results were obtained when dancers were compared to nondancers/nonathletes (Cocaphase: LRS = 92.76, p = 0.000024). These results were confirmed using a robust family-based test (Tdtphase: LRS = 46.64, p = 0.010). Association was also observed between Tellegen Absorption Scale scores and AVPR1a (Qtdtphase: global chi-square = 26.53, p = 0.047), SLC6A4 haplotypes (Qtdtphase: chi-square = 2.363, p = 0.018), and AVPR1a conditional on SCL6A4 (Tdtphase: LRS = 250.44, p = 0.011). Similarly, significant association was observed between Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire Reward Dependence scores and AVPR1a RS1 (chi-square = 20.16, p = 0.01). Two-locus analysis (RS1 and RS3 conditional on HTTLPR and VNTR) was highly significant (LRS = 162.95, p = 0.001). Promoter repeat regions in the AVPR1a gene have been robustly demonstrated to play a role in molding a range of social behaviors in many vertebrates and, more recently, in humans. Additionally, serotonergic neurotransmission in some human studies appears to mediate human religious and spiritual experiences. We therefore hypothesize that the association between AVPR1a and SLC6A4 reflects the social communication, courtship, and spiritual facets of the dancing phenotype rather than other aspects of this complex phenotype, such as sensorimotor integration.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Thigh-muscles strength training, dance exercise, dynamometry, and anthropometry in professional ballerinas.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of 12 weeks of quadriceps and hamstring strength training on torque levels after a dance exercise and on selected anthropometric parameters. The sample consisted of 22 (ages, 25 +/- 1.3 years) full-time professional ballerinas who were randomly assigned into experimental (n = 12) and control (n = 10) groups. A dance routine designed to cause fatigue within 5 minutes, isokinetic dynamometry, and anthropometric assessments were conducted before and after strength training in both groups. Before strength training, the dance routine resulted in significant reductions of hamstring (p < 0.001) and quadriceps (p < 0.001) peak torques in both subject groups. However, after strength training, only control subjects demonstrated such torque decrements (p < 0.001) after the dance routine. Furthermore, the experimental group revealed greater knee extension (119 vs. 138 N.m; p < 0.001) and flexion (60 vs. 69 N.m; p < 0.001) torques, smaller sum of skinfolds (33.6 vs. 27.8 mm; p < 0.01), more fat-free mass (37.7 vs. 39.4 kg; p < 0.05), but unchanged body mass (p > 0.05) and thigh circumferences (p > 0.05). A negative relationship (p < 0.001) was found between initial strength levels and improvements measured at the end of the 12-week program. These results suggest that supplementary strength training for hamstring and quadriceps muscles is beneficial to professional ballerinas and their dancing; weaker individuals are more likely to benefit from such regimens than their stronger counterparts, whereas increases in thigh-muscle strength do not alter selected aesthetic components.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Health condition of female aerobic dance instructors. Subjective symptoms and related factors].

Aerobic dance has recently become popular in all age groups, but the injuries among full-time and part-time aerobic dance instructors have rarely been pointed out in Japan. In this study the subjective symptoms of 63 female instructors in Gifu area were evaluated through health questionnaire. As a control group, 94 female students of the same age group were also included to compare the prevalence of subjective symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to observe the relation between instructors' symptoms and working conditions. The following results were obtained: 1) Complaints of leg and foot pain and laryngeal discomfort were significantly greater in instructors than in students even after adjusting for age and participation in other sports. 2) A significant positive relation was found in instructors between the frequency of dance lessons (times/wk) and various symptoms (calf pain, foot pain, sore throat, and hoarse voice) after adjusting for age and participation in other sports. These results suggest that leg and foot pain and laryngeal discomfort are characteristic symptoms of aerobic dance instructors. Consideration should be made to adjust the frequency of dance lessons in order to reduce these symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Social inequality and death as illustrated in late-medieval death dances.

Late-medieval murals and books of the then-popular "dances of death" usually represented the living according to their social standing. These works of art thus provide an interesting opportunity to study the relationship between social inequality and death as it was perceived by the works' commissioners or executers. The social hierarchy in these dances of death is mostly based on the scheme of the three orders of the feudal society; variations relate to the inclusion of female characters, new occupations, and non-Christian characters. Many dances of death contain severe judgments on highplaced persons and thus seem to be expressions of a desire for greater social equality. However, a more thorough analysis reveals that the equality of all before death that these dances of death proclaimed held nothing for the poor but only threatened the rich. Because of a lack of reliable data, it is not yet completely clear whether during the late Middle Ages all were indeed equally at risk for premature mortality. Available evidence, however, suggests that the clergy and nobility actually had a higher life expectancy than people placed lower in the social hierarchy. Despite modern changes in the perception of, and knowledge about, social inequality and mortality, these dances of death still capture the imagination, and they suggest that the phenomenon of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality could be used more to emphasize contemporary moral messages on social inequality.

Art↗
PubMed2006

Music and movement education as a form of motivation in teaching Greek traditional dances.

Research has shown that motivation for participating in physical education, particularly in traditional dances, has decreased dramatically. The aim of this research was to examine whether a music and movement program would increase pleasure and intrinsic motivation of students in elementary education while teaching them Greek traditional dances. 232 students were divided into two groups, a trained group of 135 participants (72 boys, 63 girls) and a control group of 97 (53 boys, 44 girls). The trained group was taught using the music and movement teaching model of traditional dances. The control group was taught using the instructional or guided teaching method of traditional Greek dances. To measure effectiveness of the two methods was accomplished by the completion of McAuley's Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. Analysis of scores showed use of music and movement education had a positive effect on intrinsic motivation for dancing and active participation of students, especially of the trained boys' group.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Hormonal predisposition to menstrual dysfunction in collegiate dance students.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of dance training on menstrual function in teenage dance students and to identify risk factors associated with menstrual dysfunction. METHODS: Dance students from a collegiate school of performing arts were recruited when they were first admitted to the school. Basic epidemiological data and menstrual history were gathered using a structured questionnaire. The subjects' self image appraisal was scored utilizing the Offer Self Image Questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements, body fat percentages and hormonal profiles were measured. The subjects were followed up after 12 months of intensive dance training, and the menstrual pattern, self image scoring and fat composition assays were repeated. RESULTS: A total of 50 students completed the study. The mean age was 18.9 years (s.d. 1.86). While all were eumenorrheic at first assessment, eight were amenorrheic and eight were oligomenorrheic at the second assessment, giving an incidence of menstrual dysfunction of 32%. A general reduction in weight and body fat composition was observed after training. Those with menstrual dysfunction did not differ from those that remained eumenorrheic in their basic anthropometric parameters, nor was the serial change in these parameters in the second assessment different between the two groups. Psychological assessment scores also showed an identical trend. All hormonal values were within the normal range, but the group with menstrual dysfunction showed a significantly higher LH/FSH ratio (p=0.012) and DHEAS levels (p=0.036) at the pre-training assessment while other hormonal parameters did not differ. CONCLUSION: The incidence of menstrual dysfunction in adolescent dance students undergoing intensive training was high. Those with pre-existing hormonal predisposition prior to entering training appeared particularly at risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dance for health: improving fitness in African American and Hispanic adolescents.

Cardiovascular disease begins early in life but might be prevented or delayed by primary prevention programs designed for children and adolescents. Regular physical activity is an important part of primary prevention programs, and school physical education programs have potential for the promotion of regular physical activity. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death among Hispanics and African Americans in the United States. Low levels of fitness and increased body mass index are common in African American and Hispanic adolescents. Increased physical activity and the adoption of healthy eating habits would increase fitness and reduce body mass index among these adolescents. The purpose of the study was to undertake a small-scale controlled trial to determine if Dance for Health, an intervention program designed to provide an enjoyable aerobic program for African American and Hispanic adolescents, has a significant effect on improving aerobic capacity, helping students maintain or decrease weight, and on improving attitudes toward physical activity and physical fitness. In the first year of the program (1990-91), approximately 110 boys and girls ages 10-13 years participated in an aerobic dance pilot program three times per week for 12 weeks. Dance for Health was revised and continued in the 1992-93 school year with seventh grade students and an added culturally sensitive health curriculum. Forty-three students were randomized to Dance for Health and 38 to usual physical activity. Those in the intervention class received a health education curriculum twice a week and a dance oriented physical education class three times a week. The usual physical activity consisted mostly of playground activities. Students in the intervention had a significantly greater lowering in body mass index and resting heart rate than students in regular physical activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The dancing plague: a public health conundrum.

The phenomenon of mass, frenzied dancing affected large populations in various parts of Europe from the thirteenth century and lasted, on and off, for three centuries. The exact aetiology of the Dancing Plague (or Dancing Mania) is still unclear. Retrospective historical review of this public health problem reveals claims for causative factors including demonic possession, epilepsy, the bite of a tarantula, ergot poisoning and social adversity. It seems unlikely that Dancing Mania resulted from a single cause but rather resulted from multiple factors combining with a predisposing cultural background and triggered by adverse social circumstances. Dancing Mania remains one of the unresolved mysteries of public health.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed2002

Direct interaction of the extracellular matrix protein DANCE with apolipoprotein(a) mediated by the kringle IV-type 2 domain.

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] consists of LDL and apolipoprotein(a), and has been shown to be a major, independent, risk factor for arteriosclerosis and thrombosis in humans. To further elucidate the (patho)physiological function(s) of Lp(a)/apo(a), we searched for new protein ligands, using the yeast two-hybrid system and employing the highly repetitive kringle IV type 2 (KIV-2) sequence from apo(a) as bait. The extracellular matrix protein DANCE [developmental arteries and neural crest epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like] recently implicated in atherogenesis was identified as an interactor. A direct physical interaction between DANCE and apo(a) was confirmed by co-purification of both recombinant proteins derived from culture supernatants of transiently transfected COS-1 cells. Furthermore, binding of human plasma-derived Lp(a) to recombinant DANCE was also observed. Finally, when monoclonal anti-apo(a) and polyclonal anti-DANCE antibodies were applied to tissue slices of atherosclerotic carotid artery, the two proteins were found to be co-localized in endothelial and smooth muscle cells, suggesting that they occur together in the arterial wall. However, as yet, the in vivo relevance and the possible functional role of this newly identified DANCE:Lp(a)/apo(a) interaction remains speculative.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Cleaner shrimp use a rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients.

Signals transmit information to receivers about sender attributes, increase the fitness of both parties, and are selected for in cooperative interactions between species to reduce conflict [1, 2]. Marine cleaning interactions are known for stereotyped behaviors [3-6] that likely serve as signals. For example, "dancing" and "tactile dancing" in cleaner fish may serve to advertise cleaning services to client fish [7] and manipulate client behavior [8], respectively. Cleaner shrimp clean fish [9], yet are cryptic in comparison to cleaner fish. Signals, therefore, are likely essential for cleaner shrimp to attract clients. Here, we show that the yellow-beaked cleaner shrimp [10] Urocaridella sp. c [11] uses a stereotypical side-to-side movement, or "rocking dance," while approaching potential client fish in the water column. This dance was followed by a cleaning interaction with the client 100% of the time. Hungry cleaner shrimp, which are more willing to clean than satiated ones [12], spent more time rocking and in closer proximity to clients Cephalopholis cyanostigma than satiated ones, and when given a choice, clients preferred hungry, rocking shrimp. The rocking dance therefore influenced client behavior and, thus, appears to function as a signal to advertise the presence of cleaner shrimp to potential clients.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2001

Honeybee dances communicate distances measured by optic flow.

In honeybees, employed foragers recruit unemployed hive mates to food sources by dances from which a human observer can read the distance and direction of the food source. When foragers collect food in a short, narrow tunnel, they dance as if the food source were much farther away. Dancers gauge distance by retinal image flow on the way to their destination. Their visually driven odometer misreads distance because the close tunnel walls increase optic flow. We examined how hive mates interpret these dances. Here we show that recruited bees search outside in the direction of the tunnel at exaggerated distances and not inside the tunnel where the foragers come from. Thus, dances must convey information about the direction of the food source and the total amount of image motion en route to the food source, but they do not convey information about absolute distances. We also found that perceived distances on various outdoor routes from the same hive could be considerably different. Navigational errors are avoided as recruits and dancers tend to fly in the same direction. Reported racial differences in honeybee dances could have arisen merely from differences in the environments in which these bees flew.

Animal Communication↗
PubMed2002

Musculoskeletal injuries among young, recreational, female dancers before and after dancing in pointe shoes.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, number, and distribution of musculoskeletal injuries among young, recreational, female dancers before and after dancing in pointe shoes and to explore possible risk factors. METHODS: Thirty-one female, nonprofessional ballet dancers, eight to 20 years of age, were recruited from two dance studios in London, Ontario. Participants completed a descriptive questionnaire and reliable examiners performed stress, stability, and laxity tests. RESULTS: The prevalence of instability for nonpointe and pointe groups was 0% and 8% for the knee and 17% and 3% for the ankle, respectively (a nonsignificant difference). The mean number of painful sites was 1.3 (SD = 1.9) and 2.9 (SD = 2.1) for nonpointe and pointe groups, respectively (p = 0.04). The only variable that, in part, predicted the number of painful sites was the number of years of having danced ballet. CONCLUSIONS: The generalizability of these results is limited by the small sample size. Additional prospective research with larger samples, inclusion of dancers who are just beginning to dance in pointe shoes, and consideration of level of exposure and the intensity of both dancing and other physical activity is indicated before prevention programs can be planned and tested.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

DANCE in developing and injured lung.

We identified rat developing arteries and neural crest derivatives with multiple epidermal growth factor-like domains (DANCE) as a developmentally regulated gene using suppression-subtractive hybridization. Northern analysis confirmed a fivefold induction of this mRNA transcript between fetal day 18 and 20 that persisted through postnatal day 17. The level was declining at postnatal day 21 and was similar in adult lung to that at fetal day 18. In adults DANCE mRNA abundance was highest in lung, kidney, and spleen, lower in heart, skeletal muscle, and brain, but absent from liver and thymus. It was abundant in pulmonary artery endothelium and a lung epithelial type 2 cell line, barely detectable in vascular smooth muscle, and absent in fibroblasts. In situ hybridization revealed a regulated pattern of expression in endothelial cells of fetal, postnatal, and adult lung. Because DANCE mRNA was inducible in systemic arteries during recovery from injury, we searched for induction in lung injured by hyperoxia. Mouse DANCE mRNA abundance was unchanged during an acute 3-day exposure period, induced threefold 5 days into the recovery phase, and returned to baseline at days 8, 11, and 14. In situ hybridization at day 5 suggested a diffuse pattern of induction. DANCE may play a role in lung endothelial cell biology during development repair after injury.

Aging↗
PubMed2004

The associations between childhood dance participation and adult disordered eating and related psychopathology.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between childhood dance participation and adult eating behavior and psychological health. METHODS: A total of 546 undergraduate females at a large Midwestern university completed questionnaires regarding eating behavior and associated features, depression, self-esteem, and body image. RESULTS: Women who participated in childhood dance are more likely to score higher on measures of bulimic behaviors than nondancers. In addition, childhood dancers indicated greater drive for thinness and poorer impulse control compared to nondancers. Furthermore, there was a statistical trend for childhood dancers to report greater perfectionism and a smaller ideal body mass than nondancers. There were no significant differences between dance groups on measures of depression and self-esteem. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that participating in dance as a child may influence one's eating behavior as an adult, including associated factors such as drive for thinness and impulse control and potentially perfectionism and preferred body size.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Dance medicine: current concepts.

Dance medicine has grown exponentially over the past 10 to 15 years and continues to grow every year as more former professional dancers and students of dance enter into the field of medicine. Dance medicine is part of the field of performing arts medicine, which specializes in evaluating and treating performing artists such as musicians, dancers, actors/actresses, and vocalists. This article reviews the literature on dance medicine for various health-related medical issues, for the types of injuries commonly found, for the common surgical and rehabilitation interventions, and for injury prevention used in this unique group of patients.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1997

Sexual orientation and professional dance.

The stereotypical professional male dancer is a gay man. However, little if any systematic research has investigated the validity of this stereotype, much less the reasons why male sexual orientation would be associated with interest in dance. We interviewed 136 professional dancers about the prevalence of homosexuality among dancers, the dancers' own sexual development, and relationships between dancers of different sexual orientations. Dancers estimated that over half of male dancers are gay, but that only a small minority of female dancers are lesbian. Gay men recalled more intense early interest in dance compared to heterosexual men and women, and were more feminine as boys than were heterosexual men. Gay men's homosexual feelings typically preceded their dance experience, and only one gay man felt that his dance experiences may have influenced his sexual orientation. Heterosexual men voiced some mild complaints about gay male dancers, but these were balanced by positive sentiments.

Adolescent↗