Competitive dance, also known as DanceSport, is one of the official sports of the World Games. The most salient characteristic of ballroom dance is the closed-hold position, during which the upper body segments of partner-dancers are linked. This study aimed to investigate partnering effects on joint motion ranges of the lower extremity and step lengths during the waltz in 13 national level competitive dance couples and a world champion couple. A Xsens MVN system was used to record movement at 240 Hz. Solo and pair conditions were examined. Compared with the highly skilled couples, the world champion couple demonstrated superior dance skills for generating the first step length in the pair condition of the waltz. This was particularly evident in the step length and joint motion range of the champion female dancer.

Background. Competitive dance, also known as “DanceSport,” is a competitive style of ballroom dance. The waltz features a particular movement in which the dancer lifts and lowers his/her body while dancing. In ballroom dance terms, this movement is known as the “rise and fall.” The purpose of this research was to examine partnering effects in relation to the vertical component of dancers’ center of mass when performing the competitive waltz. Methods. This investigation was conducted through statistical parametric mapping of the movements of 13 national level competitive dance couples and a world champion couple as they danced both solo and in pairs. The Xsens MVN system was used to record their movements, using a capture rate of 240 Hz. Results. We consequently found that, in the pair condition, the vertical component of the center of mass was smaller for the male dancers and larger for the champion male dancer when compared to their respective solo conditions. However, for the female dancers and the champion female dancer, unlike the males, no significant partner effects were found. Conclusion. Therefore, in terms of partner effects, the “rise and fall.” motion was smaller for the male dancers and larger for the champion male dancer. Keywords: DanceSport, ballroom, kinematics, partnering, statistical parametric mapping.

To evaluate competitive ballroom dancing, one of the official events of the World Games, spin movements used by advanced dancers who ranked high in actual competition may be employed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinematic characteristics of spin movements in competitive ballroom dancing performed by world champion couples, especially holding posture and lower limb movements. A champion couple and 13 national-level competitive ballroom dancers as the control group participated in this study. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) system (MVN Link; Xsens, Netherlands) consisting of 17 IMUs, attached to feet, shanks, thighs, pelvis, sternum, head, upper arms, forearms, and hands of the dancers, was used to obtain three-dimensional kinematic data at 240 Hz. The overall trend was that the actual and normalized stride lengths of the champion male and female dancers tended to be longer than those of the male and female dancers in the control group. Further, large differences were observed in the pelvic and rib cage segments movements, and the relative angle of the rib cage segment to the pelvic segment. The champion male dancer started to move from the pelvic segment, whereas the champion female dancer and the national-level top male and female dancers started to move from the rib cage segment. During the spin movement, the champion male dancer was in a position where the rib cage segment was rotated to the left with respect to the pelvic segment, whereas the other dancers were in a position where the rib cage segment was rotated to the right. Although limited to technical aspects, these dance kinematic characteristics of the world champion couples and their differences from those of the control group dancers, will be helpful to competitive ballroom dancers and coaches in their daily practice.