Understanding Exercise Physiology through the Eswatini Traditional and Cultural Dances

Abstract

Exercise science incorporates various subjects which include Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, and Psychology among others. These are extensively applied and are useful in the field of dance. In southern African context, the Eswatini's traditional and cultural dances are not only regarded as a form art with technical and expressive aspects but also sports form due to their high physiological capacities. These dances are diverse, intermittent, with moderate to high intensity. They are complex in that, no clear distinction between training, performance intensities and durations can be drawn. Considering dance as a sport and an art it is of paramount importance to understand the physiological strain on the dancers. Like any sport, a sound dance science is a significant requirement to achieve optimal performance and sustain it throughout the stages of the dancing career for an athlete. Despite the fact that we are now in the mid-21st century, most of southern Africa traditional dances are not documented compared to traditional games, dance science has been fast growing in the developed nations. Understanding dance science in academic and sport spheres is of paramount importance. Dance science should to be taught to dancers with focus of how they can improve their trained state and achieve optimal performance through understanding the cycles of periodization training and nutrition to allow them to prepare for events more efficiently. Therefore, the current paper discusses the physiological aspects such as physical fitness, energy systems, energy intake and expenditure, conditioning training and injury prevention, and rest in Eswatini traditional dances.