Coker College

The effects of a six-week dance program on physical

fitness in high school students

Midori Darr
Senior Thesis DNC 480
Dr. Sims
April 22, 2016

Darr 2
Introduction
Experts recommend that students who are attending schools should participate in some
form of physical activity per day. Why? Because participating in a daily workout improves
strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces
anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol
levels (Center for Disease Control). Unfortunately the majority of students are not meeting
these guidelines (Disease Prevention and Health Promotion). The question is how can educators
make a difference in a students daily physical activity? One-way is to introduce activities into
the school that are not sport-based, but can provide daily physical activity. One of the reasons
students may prefer not to be physically active during school is due to the rigorous and often
competitive nature of physical education classes, which can be embarrassing and terrifying for
some students. Also, some of the lessons that are taught in physical education classes do not meet
the national recommendation of physical activity.
The effects of a six-week dance program on physical fitness in high school students
examines the physical fitness outcomes between students participating in a dance class twice a
week for six weeks and students maintaining their daily physical activity. The purpose of this
study was to investigate physical fitness changes in dance participants, but also encourage a
lifestyle change towards a healthy future. Participants may develop a new interest in dance and
continue to participate in dance leading to increased physical activity.
It is important for a person to participate in physical activity daily to prevent major health
issues. Some common activities people choose to perform on a daily basis are walking, running,
pushups, and crunches. Dance can also serve as another way to exercise. Ward explained,
Dancing is a form of exercise that many people can enjoy throughout life; the use of dance as a

Darr 3
healing tool by kinesthetically connecting body, mind, and spirit has expanded the worldview of
dance to include prevention and management of chronic diseases, mental illnesses, and physical
disabilities (Ward 33). Dancing does not only help with health issues, but it also can be a great
workout. It can help with coordination, form, and skill.
Dance can be a challenging exercise in many ways. It helps individuals gain stamina,
challenges the mind, and increases flexibility. Hui et al. studied how dance can be beneficial to a
persons physical activity. Researchers of the study stated, Studies have demonstrated that
aerobic dance has physiological and psychological benefits (Hui et al. 1). When they studied a
group of women, they found that dancing resulted in improvements to their cardiorespiratory
endurance, balance, lower limb strength and endurance, body agility and flexibility, and
decreased body fat (Hui et al. 1). Some may make assumptions that dance is not as vigorous and
does not have as many benefits as other physical activities. However, according to Frmel,
Some educators fail to see dance as an activity that can contribute to lifetime fitness. Also it
is possible that different dance forms would be more appealing to students or offer more
opportunity for physical activity that is vigorous in nature (Frmel 26). By the end of this study,
it is hoped participants will see a change in their behavior and attitude towards physical activity.
Heath Benefits of Physical Activity
There are many reasons why people should make sure they are physically active on a
daily basis. Children especially, because if they are not doing some sort of physical activity when
they are young, then it could track into sedentary behavior in adulthood. The Department of
Health and Human Services states, Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular
diseases (Department of Health and Human Services 3). The department believes that physical
education programs for children could help prevent the next generation of adults from becoming

Darr 4
inactive. The Department of Health and Human Services encouraged changing physical
education programs, by establishing patterns of regular activity in children that will carry over
to adulthood (DHHS 3). Since American children have high levels of obesity, serum cholesterol,
and blood pressure, regular physical activity can develop health benefits in childhood that
prevent diseases. The Department of Health and Human Services states, Because physical
activity effectively promotes long-term weight loss in obese children and adolescents, increasing
physical activity in children could play a role in preventing further increases in childhood
obesity (DHHS 4). Another way physical activity aids in overall health is being active in
childhood and young adulthood is believed to enhance the uptake of calcium in the bones
(DHHS 4). There are many reasons why children are less active, but the main problem is that
kids prefer to be sedentary. There has been a huge shift from being physical to everything being
technology based. More kids prefer to play video games than play outside with their friends.
According to CDC, kids spend an average of eight hours per day in front of screens; many kids
begin watching TV at a very young age, which only increases bad habits. Researchers say that
many children today are unhealthier than their parents generation.
Usually it is required for students who are enrolled in high school to take one semester of
PE during all four years. If the student is not doing anything outside of school, then what are they
doing for their daily physical activity? According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
In 2013, only 29% percent of high school students had participated in at least 60 minutes
per day of physical activity on each of the 7 days before the survey during the same year
less than half (48%) of high school students (64% of 9th-grade students but only 35% of
12th-grade students) attended physical education classes in an average week. The
percentage of high school students who attended physical education classes daily

Darr 5
decreased from 42% in 1991 to 25% in 1995 and remained stable at that level until 2013.
(CDC)
The CDC shows the lack of physical activity in high schools students, which is one of the
reasons why schools should find other ways to encourage students to become more active. One
way is to bring dance into the schools. There is a possibility that dance can increase physical
activity in students because dancing in general has many health benefits.
Health Benefits of Dance
Even though a lot of schools do not offer dance as a class, there are many advantages to
instruction in dance. Dancing can help keep the body and brain active, improve flexibility,
reduce stress, increase creativity, and improve overall strength. Alpert believes that Dance can
be as beneficial as jogging around the track, biking, swimming, or running on the treadmill.
Dance is a form of physical activity, which is sustainable because it is fun (Alpert 1). Some
benefits of dance that Alpert identified were increasing muscle strength and tone, endurance,
balance, and spatial awareness as well as a general feeling of well-being. Alpert suggests the
continuous motion of dance can burn anywhere from 200 to 500 calories during a 1-hour session
depending on how vigorous the dance is being performed. Other things that dance could increase
is that one may gain or enhance cardiovascular conditioning as well (Alpert 1). Activities such
as side-to-side movements could help strengthen the weight bearing bones such as the femur,
tibia, and fibula. She also explained that some dance forms have repetitive movements such as
hip drops, figure eights, circles, and shimmies, which can put the lower back and hip joints and
ligaments through full range of motion that increases muscle tone and improved posture thereby
aiding in the prevention of lower back problems (Alpert 1). In addition to health benefits,

Darr 6
dancing can help people learn about different cultures, social interaction, problem solving, and
memorization.
One benefit of dance is that studies have shown it is popular with girls. We commonly see
more female dancers than male dancers. Even though dance has the potential to contribute to a
healthy lifestyle and overall moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (Jago 1), it may be
challenging to introduce dance into the school curriculum because male students may not be
interested. However, one study has shown that certain dance classes can affect female students
physical activity, Among female youth who reported dancing, almost 40% of their moderate-tovigorous physical activity total was attributable to dance (Jago 1). ONeill found that jazz and
tap classes provided more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared with ballet. ONeill
also found that swing, and merengue reported higher heart rates compared to foxtrot, waltz, and
tango (ONeill 1). Since dancing attracts females more than males, this was one of the issues that
the investigator came across in the study. It is possible that educating students on the health
benefits of dance would appeal to all genders.
Dance for Heath Intervention
As stated before, many children have health issues because of the decrease in physical
activity in schools. Flores researched one of the major causes of death due to cardiovascular
diseases among Hispanics and African Americans in the United States. Hispanics and African
Americans are the majority of Americans suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and the main
reason is due to low levels of fitness and increased body mass index are common in African
American and Hispanic adolescents (Flores 189). The purpose of this study was to determine if
dance could persuade students of the ages 10-13 to be more active. The program was titled

Darr 7
Dance for Health. It was an intervention program designed to provide an enjoyable aerobic
program for African American and Hispanic children. The program had an effect on improving
aerobic capacity and helped students maintain or decrease weight. Another thing that improved
was their attitudes toward physical activity and physical fitness. One group of students serving as
the intervention class received a health education class twice a week and a dance physical
education class three times a week. The other group continued their usual physical activity,
which consisted of mostly playground activities. In order for Flores to see if her program caused
change, she compared both of the groups of students, one participated in Dance for Health and
the other continued to participate in their regular physical education class. At the conclusion of
the study she noticed, the students in the intervention had a significantly greater lowering in
body mass index and resting heart rate than students in regular physical activity (Flores 189).
Dance for Health was provided to students who lived in low-income areas that needed an
enjoyable exercise program because the students were not getting the recommended daily
amount of physical activity. From this study, it shows dance can have a positive impact on
physical fitness.
Impact on Dance
Physical education classes in high school have changed over the years. Often people
think of PE as rope climbing, running on the track, or playing sports. From an observation of a
local physical education class, it appears some teachers are hands off with instruction and rely
on technology, like Wii games such as Just Dance, for curriculum. Other classes may rely heavily
on students assumed previous knowledge of sports and simply provide equipment for students to
play sports such as basketball, baseball, or hockey. These type of roll out the ball teachers may
not promote physical activity or foster life long interest in physical activity. In Dance as a

Darr 8
Fitness Activity the Impact of Teaching Style and Dance Form, Frmel discussed the challenges
of engaging high school students in physical fitness. Fromels article stated two goals, one was to
increase physical education for high school students, and the second one was the activities must
be taught in a positive and caring manner. This encourages students to develop a positive attitude
towards a healthy lifestyle.
Frmel believed dance would be more appealing in the curriculum than having them do
something they would perform in their PE class. Frmel claimed dance would be more
attractive and desirable to students (Frmel 26). The article strongly encouraged dance to be a
part of physical education because dance offers so much to the total development of students in
the physical, intellectual, aesthetic, cultural, emotional, and social spheres, it should be included
as an integral part of physical education (Frmel 26). Two studies that the Czech Republic
tested showed that high school girls strongly preferred aesthetically oriented physical activities
(Frmel 26). The two most popular activities that were performed both in and out of school were
swimming and dance. The least popular activities were those that focused on fitness, motor
skills, sports performance, and competition. Frmel stated, dance is one such activity because
studies have shown that it can play a significant role in the promotion of physical activity for
teenage girls (Frmel 27). Since Frmel has shown that dance is capable for increasing interest
in teenage girls, it inspired the investigator to try this study amongst a school that had zero dance
classes and no PE classes.
Status of Dance in Education
It is known that dance is on the Critical Needs list in South Carolina and many other
states. People often fail to understand how dance can be as important as any other subject. In the
article, Status of Dance in Education, Overby discuses how dance is classified as an art form and

Darr 9
also something that students practice in their physical education classes. Overby (1992) says,
Dance has been described as an exciting and vibrant art, which can be used in the educational
setting to assist the growth of the student and to unify the physical, mental, and emotional
aspects of the human being (qtd. In Dance Directions, 1988). Dance is immediately accessible
for most people no special equipment is needed, just the ability to move (Overby). The book
discussed potential learning opportunities in dance such as critical thinking and analytical skills,
cooperation and teamwork, self-expression and self-esteem, organization and problem solving,
cultural literacy, and communicating emotions through movement (Overby). Even though having
dance in the school system gives students the opportunity to experience it; dance is still not one
of the primary subjects that is available in schools. Overby says, Nevertheless, it has been
observed that, of all the art forms, dance is experienced the least (Overby). Since dance is a
limited subject, this is one of the reasons why the investigator of the study wanted to offer this
program, so that the participants are able to gain meaningful experiences in dance as physical
activity. There are of course other options to go take a dance class, but that cost money,
transportation, and time. However, if dance were an option in school, then it would be much
easier for the student and parent.
Other Benefits from Dance
Dance is known as one of the oldest forms of communication (National Dance Education
Organization). It is a way people communicate with one another without having any type of
verbal conversation. For example, babies, before they can even talk, move, and elders can
understand them through their movement. If children reach up, a person would know they want
to get picked up, or if they hear music, they often start bouncing. According to the National

Darr 10
Dance Education Organization dance is a natural method for learning and a basic form of
cultural expression. Children learn movement patterns as readily as they learn language
(NDEO). Unfortunately, dance is limited in schools.
Some schools do incorporate music, art, and theater in their curriculum, but no dance.
Having dance as a subject should be as important as the other art forms that students are required
to take. It should be a part of a students learning experience. NDEO says, It is essential that
education provide our children with the developmental benefits and unique learning
opportunities that come from organizing movement into the aesthetic experience of dance
(NDEO). It is important that people understand the advantages of dance.
Not only is it an art form, but it can also help with the development of a growing child.
The National Dance Education Organization believes that Dance helps children mature
physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively (NDEO). Dancing can also help with children
who have ADHD, autism, stress, depression and other mental illnesses. NDEO listed the many
different ways dance can be beneficial including physical development, accomplished through
movement patterns that teach coordination and kinesthetic memory (NDEO). Since young
children are very active, dance can help with the growth of their activities from movement and
other skills that it has to offer.
Another means of development fostered by dance is emotional maturity, Children enjoy
the opportunity to express their emotions and become aware of themselves and others through
creative movement (NDEO). Dancing is an outlet for a person to release all of their emotional
experiences. It is therapy for some, because movement is similar to talking, crying, or laughing.
NDEO also believes dancing helps with social awareness, Children learn to communicate ideas
to others through the real and immediate mode of body movement (NDEO). Meaning that they

Darr 11
learn from what they see what is going on around them. For example, dancing in a class setting
can help give children a better understanding with their relationships from the other students. It
helps with being able to interact with each other and creates a community with one another.
Lastly, NDEO explained how dance helps with cognitive development, Movement provides the
cognitive loop between the idea, problem, or intent and the outcome or solution. This teaches an
infant, child and, ultimately, adult to function in and understand the world (NDEO). Dancing
helps with problem solving that assists with everyday situations. For example, if a child in a
dance class is told to imagine that they are in front of a river, and they have to leap over the
imaginary river, if they fall in it, of course they are going to get wet; which will actually
happen in reality. Overall, dancing is one way children can learn by physically doing. It provides
a way for children to foster creativity in their learning skills and also helps with the development
of a growing child. There are also many other ways a teacher can use dancing in the classroom,
besides teaching movement on a daily basis.
Other Ways Dance is used in Schools
Dancing is not just standing in front of a mirror and moving in a studio, there are other
modes of dance. In February 2006, Education Week published an article describing how dance
video games have helped students become more active in schools. Of course students may find it
more appealing when there are video games involved, but due to the aerobic activity within the
game, it caused children to increase their physical activity. They used the video game series
Dance Dance Revolution and similar games. Borja says, Instead of punching buttons with their
thumbs or maneuvering a joystick, students are jumping, stepping, spinning, and rocking on a
sensor-lined vinyl dance pad connected to a video game console and TV blasting Top 40 or hiphop (Borja 1). The dance game is an example of how schools are starting to use technology to

Darr 12
push students into a more active lifestyle. Results from a two-year study on the effects of Dance
Dance Revolution on 80 West Virginia students showed improvements in cardiovascular
performance. Using the game as a way to get students to be more active is more appealing to the
students. It is something they are interested in because it is not something students usually do
everyday at school. Students parents reported their children's self-esteem and coordination were
better and they are also more willing to do other physical activities as a result" (Borja 1).
Playing a video game is not the best option to boost a students physical activity because there
are ways where they could move one arm and still play the game. Though, there are other game
options where the player has to move their entire body because they are not just moving the
remote. For this type of game, the student will be more active.

Methods
Participants
The study was approved by the Coker College Institutional Review Board. The study
took place at a private residential high school for in the southeastern United States. The primary
investigator recruited the participants by handing out flyers and sending emails to the students at
the school (See attached). Additionally an interest meeting was held for all students at the school.
The interest meeting recruited 15 participants who were interested in the dance program and 2
physical activity participants. After informed consent, parental consent, and signed liability
forms were obtained from each participant (See attached); the number of participants in the
dance program dropped to 10 and the number of physical activity participants remained at 2
participants. Participants included female junior and senior students enrolled at the school. Each
participant accepted their role in this investigation as a volunteer; they were not required to

Darr 13
participate and were not receiving any course credit for participation. The majority of the
participants in the dance class were non-dancers some had little dance experience and some
had none at all. The two participants in the control group were both on the soccer team in their
spring season. Demographic data including mean height, weight, and age is reported in Table 1.
Table 1
Demographic Chart
Dance Participants
Mean
Range
Standard Deviation

Height (Inches)
65.15
61.5-69
2.298

Physical Activity Participants

Mean
62.25
Range
61-63.5
Standard Deviation 1.768

Weight (lbs)
144.55
114-238
40.738

Age
16.6
16-18
0.699

137
135-139
2.828

16.5
16-17
0.707

Curriculum/ Timeline
The intervention group participated in a six-week dance program taught by the primary
investigator. The primary investigator instructed the dance class participants for six weeks, 2
days a week and an hour each class. The classes were held on Tuesday and Sunday evenings.
Frmel said, A childhood lifetime physical activity recommendation has been developed. Like
the adult guideline it recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of activity almost every day
(Frmel 27). The primary investigator encouraged participants to be active the entire class. Each
class was taught at the school in the student activity center. The primary investigator developed
the curriculum for the intervention based on the South Carolina Department of Education
Academic Dance Standards (see Table 2).
Table 2
Chart of Timeline

Darr 14
Pretest

Fitnessgram

Week 1

Jazz
State Standards for Dance:
Standard 1: The student will identify and demonstrate movement elements
and skills and apply them while performing dance.
Standard 6: The student will identify and apply healthful practices related
to dance
Modern
State Standards for Dance:
Standard 1: The student will identify and demonstrate movement elements
and skills and apply them while performing dance.
Standard 6: The student will identify and apply healthful practices related
to dance
Ballet
State Standards for Dance:
Standard 1: The student will identify and demonstrate movement elements
and skills and apply them while performing dance.
Standard 6: The student will identify and apply healthful practices related
to dance
Contemporary
State Standards for Dance:
Standard 1: The student will identify and demonstrate movement elements
and skills and apply them while performing dance.
Standard 6: The student will identify and apply healthful practices related
to dance
Improvisation
State Standards for Dance:
Standard 1: The student will identify and demonstrate movement elements
and skills and apply them while performing dance.
Standard 2: The student will implement choreographic principles,
processes, and structures.

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Standard 4: The student will demonstrate and apply critical, creative, and

analytic thinking in response to dance.

Standard 6: The student will identify and apply healthful practices related
to dance
Hip-hop
State Standards for Dance:
Standard 1: The student will identify and demonstrate movement elements
and skills and apply them while performing dance.
Standard 6: The student will identify and apply healthful practices related

Darr 15
to dance
Post Test Fitnessgram
The main skills the primary investigator focused the curriculum (See attached) on were
gaining muscle strength, stamina, increasing flexibility and balancing by using different dance
techniques. During some of the exercises, the investigator used dance vocabulary so students
could learn dance terminology and meaning. The lessons included ballet, modern, jazz,
contemporary, improvisation, partnering, and hip-hop. Each lesson was the same for two classes.
For example, the class taught on Tuesday remained the same for Sunday. The investigator taught
a variety of dance styles because the school the participants attended did not offer any dance
classes and the investigator wanted to provide variety.
Each lesson began with a follow-along-warm-up, where the participants followed the
investigator, then into a floor stretch, then into learning a phrase to prepare them to go across the
floor; then the class would learn combinations that traveled across the floor. At the end of each
class, the investigator taught or revisited a phrase; if there was any time left, the participants
would do it in groups. For each lesson, the investigator added some sort of conditioning in the
class such as push-ups, jumping jacks, stretching, or crunches. There were various levels of
proficiency in the class.
The space for the dance program was not the usual setting a dance class would be held.
The school did not have a dance studio with hardwood floors or mirrors. The only space that was
available at the time was in the student activity center, in a room called the movie room. The
room was similar to a movie theater; there were chairs that sat in front of a video screen, and the
floor was carpet. During each dance class, since the space was not a dance studio, the
investigator had to make sure that the space was clear of any obstacles or unsafe floor. The

Darr 16
instructor of the dance classes is trained in age appropriate instruction and safety protocols. All
participants were expected to dance at the level that was appropriate for their skill. The risk to
injury was no greater than an individual participating in daily physical activity.
It is possible participants benefitted from participating in the study. Those with dance
experience may have benefited more due to their interest in the content. Other participants may
have found an activity, dance, that they enjoy participating in. Participants with no dance
experience or limited in physical activity may have experienced a lifestyle change.
.
Data Collection
All data collected was stored in a locked office at the school the primary investigator is
attending. Only the faculty advisor had access to it. The data was stored in hard copy form with
the participants identity on separate documents. Each subjects name was assigned a numeric
code separate from the other documents.
The primary investigator worked with two different groups of students. One group served
as the control group who continued their regular daily physical activity and completed an activity
log (see attached). The activity log was developed by The Heart and Stroke Foundation. The
participants of the control group completed this log every time they did any type of physical
activity recording the date, type of exercise, effort (High, Moderate or Light), number of
minutes, and how they felt after the exercise.
Prior to the intervention, the participants were required to take a confidential, validated
fitness pretest titled Fitnessgram (See attached), focusing on muscular endurance, muscular
strength, and flexibility. Welk explains, Fitnessgram is a health-related and activity assessment

Darr 17
fitness program that allows instructors to produce individualized reports for each student in a
class (1). The primary investigator measured and recorded the participants height, weight, date
of birth, heart rate, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility of each participant.
The exercises that were on the test were jumping jacks, push-ups, curl ups, sit and reach, and
trunk lift. Each participant answered questions about their current physical activity habits
including how many days of the past week they participated in cardiovascular exercise, muscle
strengthening exercises, and flexibility exercises. Following the intervention each group took an
identical post-test.
At the beginning of each dance class, the primary investigator took attendance to make
sure everyone was present. The primary investigator also followed up with the control group to
make sure they were completing their daily activity logs. After every dance class, the investigator
wrote down a reflection on how effective the class was. The primary investigator also used a
method to monitor how much physical activity a student was getting in the class. One way the
investigator monitored the participants physical activity was to check their heart rate by using
two fingers below the chin (Carotid Pulse) or on wrist (Radial Pulse) for ten seconds. Most of the
participants found it easier to count their pulses below the chin. The participants checked their
heart rate at the beginning of class for resting heart rate and at the peak of each class for working
heart rate. The primary investigator recorded all of their heart rates into Microsoft Excel.
Maximum heart rate is about 220 minus a persons age, since all of the participants in this study
were teenagers, their maximum heart rate should be about 200 beats per minute.
At the end of the dance program, the participants completed a survey. Some of the
questions that were asked in the survey were: I enjoyed participating in the dance program; I

Darr 18
would go take a dance class because I have improved so much through this program; if I had the
opportunity to do the six-week program again, I would.

Data Analysis
To analyze the data, the primary investigator compared pretest and postest results to see if
the participants progressed in any way. The results from a t-test determined which group was
more successful. The level of significance was set at p < .05 for all statistical analyses. Data from
the survey was compiled to determine frequency of responses to the Likert scale and comments
were analyzed for themes. For data triangulation, the primary investigators observations were
also analyzed for themes.

Results
The pre and posttest data is reported in Table 3. The mean heart rate for each class is
reported in Table 4. There was not a significant difference between the tests; however, data
shows that participants of the study have gained an interest towards dance because they were
able to participate in the study.
Table 3
Danceand
Participants
Pre
Post Fitness
Test

Pre
Test
(Mean
)
Post
Test
(Mean
)

Rest
HR

Elevate
d HR

Trunk
Lift

Curl
-up

Push
-up

L Sit
and
Reac
h
8.3

R
Shoulde
r Stretch

L
Shoulde
r Stretch

Q1

Q2

Q3

18.6

R Sit
and
Reac
h
8.45

47.2

76.2

13.3

23

Y=10/10

Y=7/10
N=3/10

4.3

2.1

5.2

60.6

97.8

14.1

24.4

23

7.7

7.95

Y=10/10

Y= 7/10
N=3/10

4.5

2.4

4.4

Darr 19
T-Test
(Pre &
Post
Test)

0.00
9

0.159

0.121

0.445

0.020

0.119

0.456

0.64
2

0.55
9

0.868

Physical Activity Participants

Pre
Test
(Mean
)
Post
Test
(Mean
)
T-Test
(Pre &
Post
Test)

54

84

14

22.5

27.5

12

11.15

1=1/2
2=1/2

Y=1/2
N=1/2

4.5

0.5

4.5

70.5

100

15.5

24

23.5

12

12.75

1=2/2

Y=1/2
N=1/2

2.12
1

1.41
4

3.536

0.36
0

0.599

0.5

0.5

0.409

0.204

0.5

0.5

0.5

Table 4
Dance Program HR
Classes
Mean Resting HR
(bpm)
1
No Data
2
No Data
3
81
4
87.6
5
90
6
81
7
81
8
80.25
9
80.67
10
80.4
11
88.6
12
88.2
Total
83.171
Mean:

Mean Working HR
(bpm)
No Data
No Data
161.4
176.67
176.4
169.2
155
174.75
171.333
184.8
169.8
181.8
172.115

Average HR 220-age
Results- Participants are
working 40.94%
On average, participants were
working at 84.70% of their
maximum HR

The results of the survey are reported in Table 5 and 6. The survey was setup on a Likert
Scale, where the participants marked if they agreed or disagreed with any of the statements. All
of the participants were satisfied with the dance program. Several of them wanted to continue.
One participant commented, A couple of us have decided to make a dance class here at school

Darr 20
where a student can teach other students a dance they have experience in. Another participant
commented, I really liked the modern class that we did. I enjoy the fluidity of the movements
and the way that you taught made it extremely enjoyable. At home, modern classes were always
a drag for me, but here, I was smiling the entire time. All of the surveys from the participants of
the dance class had positive comments towards the dance program. None disagreed that they did
not enjoy it or felt like they did not gain a great experience from the study. (See attached and
Table 5).
Table 5
Frequency of Participant Responses on Survey
Strongly
Agree

Agre
e

Somewhat
Agree

I enjoyed participating in the dance

program.

I feel improvement in my muscle

strength.

I would go take a dance class

because I have improved so much
through this program.

If I had the opportunity to do the sixweek program again, I would.

Somewhat
Disagree

Disagre
e

Strongly
Disagree

From the primary investigators observations, the majority of the classes went well, but
the one that was the most difficult, was the first day of improvisation/ partnering. Teaching this
class was a challenge, because the participants were not use to moving in this way and it was
hard to keep them focused. Surprisingly, improvisation was the most enjoyed class. (See Table
6).
Table 6 Survey Comments
Theme

#Of
Paricipant
s

Improvements
Flexibility

Darr 21
Muscle strength
6
Most enjoyable technique class
Improvisation
4
Ballet
3
Contemporary
2
Modern
1
Hip Hop
1
Overall fun

9
Discussion

There was no statistically significant difference between pre and posttest data for the
dance program or the controlled group. The dance classes were only held for six-weeks. They
only danced for an hour, two days a week. The short amount of time of the investigation could be
one of the reasons why there was not a shift in the results. If the participants had longer dance
classes and more days to work, then it is possible that the investigator could see more
improvements.
The investigator did not control outside activities, such as working out on their own, sport
teams, or anything that deals with physical activity. Outside activities affected the study in so
many ways. It caused absences if a participant was on a sport team. If participants were working
out on their own and also performing in the dance class, then the results would not show that
only a dance class improved their physical fitness. It was also difficult to plan lessons because
there were such a variety of levels in the dance class. One thing that did stand out in this study
was that the participants of the dance classes were working more than 80% of their moderate to
vigorous physical activity (MVPA). A persons target HR should be 50%- 70% of their maximum
HR (CDC). The participants mean for their working HR was more than 70% of their maximum.
This shows that dancing is a vigorous physical activity.

Darr 22
The investigator believes there was a change in the participants attitudes. Many of the
participants from the dance program did not have any type of dance experience, and now they
feel more comfortable and they would like to continue the classes on their own. It may develop
into a new area of interest for the participants, or into a life long physical activity. Maybe oneday, because of this study and the participants interest, the school possibly could incorporate
dance classes into an after school program or start a dance team. From the investigators
observation notes and survey comments, the participants were excited to be able to do something
outside of what they were use to doing. Many of the participants asked if someone was coming
back to their school to do a similar study again next year.
Limitations
The biggest challenge of this study was scheduling. Before starting, the initial plan was to
work with a PE class at a local high school. It would be easier for the participants and the
investigator to come at the same time everyday, and they would be required to come because it
would be part of their class. Unfortunately, The school that did have a scheduled PE class
declined the study. The school that the study was performed at did not have a PE class, which
made it difficult to find a time and place for the participants to attend class. Another issue was
that the participants were not required to attend class. Some participants were absent for some
classes, which could possibly affect the data. Additionally there were conflicts with school
events, practice for sport teams, school breaks, and other obligations.
Another issue that possibly affected the data is that the participants walk up stairs before
they take the dance class and the pre and posttest. Before the class they take their heart rate,
which could increase their HR before they start dancing. Since the stairs take a lot of energy, it

Darr 23
could raise their HR, which makes it more that what their resting HR should be. One of the
challenges with the participants writing down their own data is that it is self reported, so it may
not be accurate. They could miscount, forget, or just wrote something down.
All of the heart rate data from the weekly dance classes were self-report, so there was
room for error. Also, the investigator did not control outside activities. So the participants were
able to do other physical activities instead of just limited to the dance classes. Also, since the
participants of the control group were on the soccer team, they were physically active everyday,
and the dance classes were only meeting twice a week for an hour. Another issue was that during
both of the fitness tests, some of the participants were not in the correct alignment when they
were performing certain exercises. For example, many of the participants were not in the
appropriate position for a push-up. Some did not activate their abdominals, head and neck were
not aligned, hips and torso was not straight, and their shoulders were crunched up. Since they
were not in the appropriate position, the movement was not counted. Lastly, all of the
participants started at different physical activity levels. There is a possibility that some of the
participants never did any type of physical activity prior to this study.
Future Research
There are many changes that could strengthen this study if a researcher were to replicate.
Some things that would help are larger sample sizes, because there were only 12 participants in
this study. This study only represents some of the students that attended this school. It only
represents a small group of participants who were all females. Since there were not that many
participants, if one person did not try during the classes or the tests, then there is a possibility that
it could mess up the data. However, if the study was done with a bigger group, then it may not
make much of a difference. A longer timeline would improve the validity of the data. Six weeks

Darr 24
was not long enough to see a significant difference in the participants physical fitness.
Increasing the time of the dance classes to a traditional one hour and fifteen minutes would
increase the activity time and possibly the physical fitness outcomes. Using a more accurate
heart rate measurement instrument such as a heart rate monitor could strengthen the data. The
manual and self-report method could have human error. This study should be expanded to
different age groups.
Conclusion
This study suggests there is a difference in the participants attitudes about dance. By the
end of the study, the comments and results from the dance program survey shows that the dance
classes have helped the participants gain interest. Dance is something the participants would like
to continue doing. Even though there is not a significant change from the pre and post test,
results from the HR show that the participants of the dance class have been working more than
80% of their moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Despite not seeing extensive
physical fitness changes, the study shows that dance can provide meaningful physical activity
and can be an activity that students enjoy. This study attracted females, so clearly females may
be more interested in dance. Overall, the participants of the study agreed that if they had the
opportunity to do the six-week dance program again they would. This demonstrates the value of
dance as an opportunity for students to gain meaningful physical activity.

Darr 25
Works Cited
"Physical Activity." Healthy People 2020. Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Web. 20
Apr. 2016.Print.
"Physical Activity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015. Web. 21
Feb. 2016.Print.
"South Carolina State Standards for the Visual and Performing Arts." South Carolina
Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
"Standards for Dance in Early Childhood." National Dance Education Organization. Web. 17
Apr. 2016.
Alpert, Patricia T. "The health benefits of dance." Home Health Care Management &
Practice 23.2 (2011): 155-157. Print.
Borja, Rhea R. "Dance Video Games Hit the Floor in Schools." Education Week 8 Feb.
2006: 1. Biography in Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Elliot, Eloise. "Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs."
The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Dance. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
Flores, Rosemary. "Dance for health: improving fitness in African American and
Hispanic adolescents." Public Health Reports 110.2 (1995): 189.
Frmel, Karel, et al. "Dance as a Fitness Activity the Impact of Teaching Style and
Dance Form." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 73.5 (2002):
26-30.Print.
Haskell, William L., et al. "Physical activity and public health: updated
recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine

Darr 26
and the American Heart Association." Circulation 116.9 (2007): 1081.
Hui, Elsie, Bo Tsan-keung Chui, and Jean Woo. "Effects of dance on physical and
psychological well-being in older persons." Archives of Gerontology and
Geriatrics 49.1 (2009): e45-e50.
Jago, Russell, et al. "Effect and cost of an after-school dance programme on the
physical activity of 1112 year old girls: The Bristol Girls Dance Project, a
school-based cluster randomized controlled trial." International Journal of
Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 12.1 (2015): 128.
ONeill, Jennifer R., Russell R. Pate, and Steven P. Hooker. "The contribution of dance
to daily physical activity among adolescent girls." Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 8
(2011): 87.Print.
Osness, Donna L. Health Education Teaching Ideas : Elementary. N.p.:
Association for the Advancement of Health Education, 1983. Print.
Overby, Lynnette Young, Beth C. Post, and Diane Newman. 101 MOVEntures. N.p.:
Lib of Congress, 2005. Print.
Overby, Lynnette Young. Status of dance in education. ERIC Clearinghouse, 1992.
Pangrazi, Robert P., Charles B. Corbin, and Gregory J. Welk. "Physical activity for
children and youth." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 67.4
(1996): 38-43.
United States. Department of Health, and Human Services. Physical activity and
health: a report of the Surgeon General. DIANE Publishing, 1996.
Ward, Sheila A. "Health and the Power of Dance." Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance 79.4 (2008): 33-36.

Darr 27
Welk, Greg, and Marilu D. Meredith, eds. Fitnessgram and Activitygram
Test Administration Manual-Updated 4th Edition. Human Kinetics, 2010.Print.