Rhythm or symmetry? What matters more in flamenco footwork?

Abstract

Background: Music, rhythm, symmetry, and body awareness are important aspects of dancing training. Flamenco dancers not only mark and accentuate the rhythm, but they produce the rhythm through the footwork (zapateado). The main purpose of this study was to determine whether the rhythm tapped by the flamenco dancer’s feet occurs with the symmetry in the lower limb movements. Methods: The zapateado (ZAP-3) technique sequence based on 30 cycles composed of six repeating sequences of taps performed with right and left feet was analyzed. Movement kinematics was recorded using a 3D motion system. The following parameters were analyzed: time of subsequent ZAP-3 cycles, time of successive taps of the feet in the cycle, joint angular changes throughout the cycle, and lower limb joint angles at the time when the tap was performed. Results: Temporal parameters within the cycles of the ZAP-3 test revealed small variability (coefficient of variation up to 5.05% for the right and left lower limbs for a single cycle) and high symmetry (symmetry index did not exceed 3% for a single cycle), which indicates the rhythmicity of the flamenco test. Furthermore,the kinematic analysis revealed a lack of perfect symmetry in the movements performed by both lower limbs. This allows a flamenco dancer to have room for individual interpretation or improvisation so important in flamenco. It seems that rhythm plays a more important role in flamenco footwork than movement symmetry. Conclusion: Rhythm plays a more important role in flamenco footwork than movement symmetry.