LESSON 4: PSYCHOLOGICAL
INDICATORS IN DANCE
Prepared by: Erica Joy M. Lim, Lpt
Physiological indicators such
as heart rate, rate of perceived
exertion and pacing associated
with MVPAs to monitor and or
adjust participation or effort will
show your level of participation in
dance activities. The intensity of
doing moderate physical activities
and vigorous physical activities is
monitored through these
indicators.
Dancing is an excellent
alternative exercise for improving
health related physical fitness
elements. Dance performance
requires support from enhanced
physiological requirements
necessary for dancers including
cardiovascular fitness, muscle
flexibility, muscular
strength/power.
A reduction in muscular strength
associate with injury risk and
many dancers succumb to
problems such as the overtraining
syndrome. Improvement in lower
body muscular strength appears
to have positive effects on
aspects of dance performance
and injury prevention.
The qualities and benefits
offered by dancing depend
on the dance forms
concerned but as a general
rule, it improves physical
health by developing
strength, suppleness,
coordination and balance in
varying amounts.
Firstly, the Heart Rate is an
indicator wherein the intensity of
the activity is measured by the
percentage of the personal
maximal heart rate during
exercise or dancing, which shows
the number of beats in a minute.
Last time you know already the
formula of prediction equation
which individual max heart rate.
Be reminded also that as we
grow older our PMHR decreases.
There are adults that are
suffering from some
cardiovascular diseases but are
undiagnosed. One of the tests
given to them is the stress test
done in a treadmill or stationary
bike. And there are other devices
used to monitor heart rate
RATE OF PERCEIVED
EXERTION
is how hard you feel like your
body is working. It is based on
the physical sensations a
person experiences during
physical activity, including
increased heart rate,
increased respiration or
breathing rate, increased
sweating, and muscle fatigue
Another way of monitoring one’s
intensity level is using a guide,
Borg’s Rate of Perceived
Exertion. Dr. Gunnar Borg has
designed this scale for us to be
guided on how we feel when
doing the physical activities
According to Gialogo and Gialogo
(2016) RPE can determine
intensity together with prediction
equation. Feeling felt by the
person doing the physical
activities is given by a ratio scale
and that the higher the number,
the level of force exerted by the
person doing is, has
corresponding percentage
equivalent.
Personal Maximal Heart Rate of
the person is determined with a
formula in which value can be
combined with Prediction
Equation based on the person’s
age. The formula of which was
discussed previously.
Determining the heart rate of the
person may be through the
counting of the exact pulse rate
which can be obtain through the
wrist, neck and beat of the heart
in the chest within 15 seconds
multiplied by 4, or 30 seconds
multiplied by 2 or full 60
seconds. Below is the table:
PACING
Pace according to Merriam-Webster it
is a rate of movement, or a rate of
progress, rate of performance or
delivery. Movement, progress and
delivery of performance in dance are
all in one.
Pace is equivalent to two steps, and
pace factor as a way of determining
the number of paces when you travel
from point to point
(Aparato,Brebante,Callo,Dajime 2017).
Say in folk dancing, steps are
patterned. Doing Mazurka steps
which has a step pattern of : slide
cut hop; slide R foot in second
position at count 1, cut R sideward
with the left foot at county 2, hop on
the Left foot and beat in rear or in
front the Right foot close to the ankle
of the Left foot at count 3.; this has a
direction of forward, obliquely
forward, sideward or at any point ,
and vice versa.
The above presentation shows that
pace in this Mazurka step starts from
the right foot to the point where you
hop, and this is equivalent to one
pace. So, in this case, number of
pace depends on how many mazurka
steps is ask in a kind of dance. The
movement is the direction, as it is
ask in a dance and it progresses as it
is ask on the dance and thereby it
delivers performance as you
demonstrate the dance.
Another example is doing pirouette
in ballet. From a point where a
dancer starts the step to another
point where it will start, the same
step or movement to another point.
The number of paces depends on
how many spin and twirl will the
dancer will take according to how
many is ask, and music and progress
continuous until full performance is
delivered. And it goes with other
dance forms
Thank you for listening!
