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

Abstract

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 st..