Assessment of the level of static and dynamic balance in healthy people, practicing selected Latin American dances

Abstract

Purpose: The balance, known as the ability to independently maintain the body in a certain position and return to the starting position, can be divided into static and dynamic balances. Social Latin American dances (salsa, bachata) require dancers to do a characteristic figure, however, they are not trained as intensively as dancing sports. The aim of the study was to assess the static and dynamic balances of dancers, who are regularly dancing those selected Latin American dances, by comparison with those who do not. Methods: The study was conducted among 34 dancers from a Krakow Dancing School and, 37 students of the Jagiellonian University, aged 21–35. A SIGMA balance platform was used to measure static and, the Y-Balance Test platform to assess dynamic balance. The Student’s T-test, Mann– Whitney U-test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used in statistical analysis. Results: There were neither significant differences between right and left lower limbs of dancers, nor between values of tilts on the YBT platform in both investigated groups. Non-dancers, however, showed a slightly higher positive correlation between the deviations in the sagittal and frontal planes and the surface area, as well as between the path length and the surface area on the SIGMA platform when compared to dancers. Conclusions: The level of dynamic and static balances of dancing people is similar, when compared to non-dancers. The influence of practicing Latin American dances on the sense of balance require further studies.