Effects of weight-bearing dance aerobics on lower limb muscle morphology, strength and functional fitness in older women.

Objective: To investigate the effects of 12-week weight-bearing dance aerobics (WBDA) on muscle morphology, strength and functional fitness in older women. Methods: This controlled study recruited 37 female participants (66.31y ± 3.83) and divided them into intervention and control groups according to willingness. The intervention group received 90-min WBDA thrice a week for 12 weeks, while the control group maintained normal activities. The groups were then compared by measuring muscle thickness, fiber length and pennation angle by ultrasound, muscle strength using an isokinetic multi-joint module and functional fitness, such as 2-min step test, 30-s chair stand, chair sit-and-reach, TUG and single-legged closed-eyed standing test. The morphology, strength, and functional fitness were compared using ANCOVA or Mann-Whitney U test to study the effects of 12 weeks WBDA. Results: Among all recruited participants, 33 completed all tests. After 12 weeks, the thickness of the vastus intermedius (F = 17.85, P < 0.01) and quadriceps (F = 15.62, P < 0.01) was significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group, along with a significant increase in the torque/weight of the knee flexor muscles (F = 4.47, P = 0.04). Similarly, the intervention group revealed a significant improvement in the single-legged closed-eyed standing test (z = -2.16, P = 0.03) compared to the control group. Conclusion: The study concluded that compared to the non-exercising control group, 12-week WBDA was shown to thicken vastus intermedius, increase muscle strength, and improve physical function in older women. In addition, this study provides a reference exercise program for older women.

Impact of dance classes on motor and cognitive functions and gut microbiota composition in multiple sclerosis patients: Randomized controlled trial.

Evidence suggests that multiple sclerosis (MS) induces a decline in motor and cognitive function and provokes a shift in gut microbiome composition in patients. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the effect of dance classes on the motor and cognitive functions and gut microbiota composition of MS patients. In this randomized controlled trial, 36 patients were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (n = 18) and the passive control group (n = 18). Supervised rock and roll and sports dance classes were performed for 12 weeks at a frequency of two times a week. Before and after the intervention, fecal samples were taken and the motor and cognitive function assessments were completed. Fecal microbiota were categorized using primers targeting the V3-V4 region of 16S rDNA. Our results revealed significant differences in mobility performance (T25-FWT), attention and working memory (TMT B), and finger dexterity (9-HPT) within the experimental group. Furthermore, we reported favorable shifts in gut microbial communities (an increase in Blautia stercoris and a decrease in Ruminococcus torques) within the experimental group. In conclusion, our randomized control trial on the effects of 12-week dance classes in MS patients found significant improvements in motor and cognitive functions, with further moderate influence on gut microbiota composition.

Partnered dance evokes greater intrinsic motivation than home exercise as therapeutic activity for chemotherapy-induced deficits: secondary results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Introduction: Dance has been proposed to support superior intrinsic motivation over non-dance forms of therapeutic physical activity. However, this hypothesis has yet to be evaluated empirically, particularly among populations living with neuropathology such as survivors of cancer with neurologic complications from chemotherapy treatment. Questions about motivation are relevant to clinical outcomes because motivation mediates neuroplasticity. We conducted this secondary analysis of a randomized-controlled study to begin to investigate the relationships between personal motivation and neurophysiologic effects of dance-based intervention for healthy aging among populations with neurologic complications of cancer. Methods: We measured motivation using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, a validated patient-reported outcome from the psychological approach of Self Determination Theory. We assessed intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and satisfaction with intervention within a randomized controlled trial of dance versus exercise designed to alleviate symptoms of chemotherapy-induced impairment. Fifty-two survivors of breast cancer with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy diagnosis and associated sensorimotor functional deficits were randomized (1:1) to 8 weeks of partnered dance or home exercise, performed biweekly (NCT05114005; R21-AG068831). Results: While satisfaction did not differ between interventions, intrinsic motivation was higher among participants randomized to dance than those randomized to exercise (p < 0.0001 at all timepoints: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks of intervention), as was extrinsic motivation at 2 weeks (p = 0.04) and 8 weeks (p = 0.01). Discussion: These data provide evidence that social dance is more motivating than the type of home exercise generally recommended as therapeutic physical activity. The results inform directions for future study of the effect of dance-based therapeutics on embodied agency, neuroplastic changes, and clinically-relevant neuropathic improvement.

Exploring the effects of combining health qigong and dance on working memory in middle-aged and elderly women: A preliminary investigation.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive decline represents a critical clinical and public health issue that adversely affects the quality of life for older patients and their families. This concern was exacerbated by the reduced engagement in outdoor activities among seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting substantial challenges to aging societies. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of health qigong combined with Tibetan dance on working memory in middle-aged and elderly women, and to determine its potential as a preventive strategy against cognitive disorders. METHODS: A pilot study was conducted to compare the effects of a Health Qigong exercise intervention with those of everyday life and sports routines. The primary outcome measure was working memory assessed using a 2-Back working memory task research paradigm. Between July and September 2021, a total of 33 women were divided into four groups: two middle-aged groups (N = 18, with 8 women in the experimental group and 10 in the control group) and two elderly groups (N = 15, with 7 in the experimental group and 8 in the control group). Participants in the experimental groups underwent a 10-week intervention, consisting of three 60-min sessions per week. Each session included a warm-up, Health Qigong combined with Tibetan dance, and a cool-down. Throughout the study, all participants continued their daily routines. Response times and error rates were analyzed using a mixed-design repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: A simple effects analysis revealed that Health Qigong combined with Tibetan dance significantly enhanced 2-Back response time and error rate in the middle-aged group. In contrast, the 2-Back error rate significantly increased in the elderly control group that did not receive the intervention (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Health Qigong demonstrates beneficial effects on middle-aged and elderly women. Combining Health Qigong with dance may serve as a preventive measure against cognitive disorders. This pioneering study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, assesses the new possibility of Health Qigong and dance, with the objective to offer more diverse indoor exercise options for middle-aged and elderly women.

Continuous training in young athletes decreases hepcidin secretion and is positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D and ferritin.

Background: Iron deficiency is known to impair muscle function and reduce athletic performance, while vitamin D has been reported to induce iron deficiency. However, the mechanism underlying exercise-induced changes in iron metabolism and the involvement of vitamins in this mechanism are unclear. The present study examined changes in biological iron metabolism induced by continuous training and the effects of vitamin D on these changes. Methods: Diet, physical characteristics, and blood test data were collected from 23 female high school students in a dance club on the last day of each of a 2-month continuous training period and a 2-week complete rest periods. Results: Serum hepcidin-25 levels were significantly lower during the training period than the rest period (p = 0.013), as were the red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit (all p < 0.001). Serum erythropoietin was significantly higher (p = 0.001) during the training period. Significant positive correlations were observed between 25(OH)D levels and serum iron, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation during the training period. Multiple regression analysis with serum 25(OH)D level as the dependent variable and serum ferritin and iron levels as independent variables during the training period revealed a significant association with serum ferritin. Conclusion: Continuous training may promote hemolysis and erythropoiesis, contributing to the suppression of hepcidin expression. The relationship between serum 25(OH)D and iron in vivo may be closely related to metabolic changes induced by the exercise load.

Tropical and montane Apis cerana show distinct dance-distance calibration curves.

Social bees have evolved sophisticated communication systems to recruit nestmates to newly found food sources. As foraging ranges can vary from a few hundred meters to several kilometers depending on the environment or season, populations of social bee species living in different climate zones likely show specific adaptations in their recruitment communication. Accordingly, studies in the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, demonstrated that temperate populations exhibit shallower dance-calibration curves compared with tropical populations. Here, we report the first comparison of calibration curves for three Indian Apis cerana lineages: the tropical Apis indica, and the two montane Himalayan populations Apis cerana cerana (Himachal Pradesh) and Apis cerana kashmirensis (Jammu and Kashmir). We found that the colonies of the two montane A. cerana populations show dance-distance calibration curves with significantly shallower slopes than those of the tropical A. indica. Next, we transferred A. c. cerana colonies to Bangalore (∼ 2600 km away) to obtain calibration curves in the same location as A. indica. The common garden experiment confirmed this difference in slopes, implying that the lineages exhibit genetically fixed differences in dance-distance coding. However, the slopes of the calibration curves of the transferred A. c. cerana colonies were also significantly higher than those of the colonies tested in their original habitat, indicating an important effect of the environment. The differences in dance-distance coding between temperate and tropical A. cerana lineages resemble those described for Apis mellifera, suggesting that populations of both species independently evolved similar adaptations.

An Evaluation of the Sharing Dance Public School Program on Physical Literacy.

Introduction: Physical literacy (PL) is a multidimensional concept that includes the domains of movement competence, positive affect, social participation, and the confidence, motivation, and knowledge and understanding necessary for regular engagement in physical activity. The Sharing Dance Public School Program was created by Canada's National Ballet School specifically designed to promote PL through dance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the program to improve PL in grade 4 to 6 children over the course of a school year. Methods: Children were initially recruited from two schools including an intervention and a control school. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was prematurely terminated which resulted in baseline and mid-point data from the intervention group only. As such, participants included 57 children (n = 28 females, Mage = 10.34 ± 0.85 years) that engaged in the dance program once per week for 50 minutes. Assessments of PL included a direct measure of movement competence (PLAYfun) and a self-report measure (survey) to assess the other domains of PL. Results: Significant improvements were found in movement competence. However, significant decreases were found for fun and enjoyment, confidence, and social participation. No changes were observed for knowledge and understanding or overall PL. Conclusions: Findings from the present study are encouraging as they provide initial evidence for the support of community-based PL programs, such as the Sharing Dance Public School Program, to help children develop their movement competence. Future research is needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of the Sharing Dance Public School Program over a school year, and when compared to a control group, as was initially intended.

Women with disabilities, body image, and wellbeing: Assessing the effectiveness of dance sessions.

INTRODUCTION: There is growing research evidence on bodily discourses and body image issues of women with disabilities. Within the art-based intervention repertoire for persons with disabilities, dance and movement-based therapies and interventions are gaining prominence. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of dance sessions (delivered online) on body image, body satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and wellbeing of women with disabilities. METHOD: A quasi-experimental waitlist control design study was conducted with data collected at two time points: baseline or pre-test and five-months later or post-test. Outcomes were measured using the Body Image Scale and the WHO-5-Wellbeing Index. RESULTS: The dance sessions were effective (Hedges' g = -0.56 -0.88; p < 0.01) and post-test body dissatisfaction scores were lower and wellbeing scores were higher for participants with a college degree or postgraduate degree, self-employed or students, and whose intervention compliance was above threshold (>50% dance sessions attended and corresponding homework sessions completed). Tobit regression models indicated that it was possible to estimate post-test outcomes due to dance sessions alone, controlling for significant socio-demographics. DISCUSSION: The domain knowledge of non-pharmacological art-based interventions for persons with disabilities, particularly women, is supported. CONCLUSIONS: Findings commend dance sessions as effective psychotherapeutic mechanisms to mitigate body dissatisfaction, improve body image and wellbeing of women with disabilities. Future research may focus on large-scale cross-sectional trials, variations in the repertoire for women with different disability types and histories, and qualitative narratives.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the 'Fit to Dance?' survey.

BACKGROUND: The 'Fit to Dance?' survey has been used in a number of studies to understand the health and wellbeing of dancers. These data have not been collected in Brazil as there is no validated questionnaire available in Brazilian Portuguese, culturally validated in Brazil with a scope as broad and comprehensive as that of 'Fit to Dance?'. OBJECTIVE: Translate into Brazilian Portuguese and culturally validate the questionnaire 'Fit to Dance?' in Brazil. METHODS: This was a validity and reliability study of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the 'Fit to Dance?' SURVEY: The stages of the research were: translation into the target language (Brazilian Portuguese), translation synthesis, translation validation and cross-cultural adaptation by a committee of experts in Dance Medicine and Science (DMS), reverse translation into English, pilot study (test/retest), and final version of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The questionnaire was applied to 21 dancers of different dance genres, with an age average of 25 ± 7.0 years. Cronbach's alpha (0.705), ICC (0.984) and Kappa (0.794) results reached adequate values. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the questionnaire 'Fit to Dance?' is effective, has adequate levels of validity and reliability, and can be used to report injuries and aspects of health and well-being of Brazilian dancers.

The role of muscle function and pointe shoe characteristics in Arabesque movement among ballet dancers with non-specific low back pain.

This study aimed to investigate posterior chain muscle function and the influence of pointe shoes in ballet dancers with and without low back pain (LBP) in the Arabesque. Twenty-nine young professional ballet dancers (17 with LBP and 12 healthy controls) were recruited. Muscle strength and mechanical properties of the erector spinae and hamstrings were assessed. The displacement of centre of mass (COM) during Arabesque under different shoe conditions (R-class, Chacott, and own shoes) was measured with a motion capture system. The LBP group exhibited greater dynamic stiffness and decreased mechanical stress relaxation time in the lateral hamstring compared to the control group. During Arabesque, the LBP group demonstrated significantly greater anterior-posterior displacement of the COM and a larger percentage of time to achieve maximal trunk extension angle. The COM displacement in vertical and medial-lateral directions was smaller in the R-class than in their own shoes. LBP impacts muscle mechanical properties, particularly in the lateral hamstring. The compromised muscle function resulted in a longer time to spinal extension during Arabesque, signifying that reduced trunk control contributed to greater COM displacement. Hence, it is essential to emphasise that evaluating muscle properties and dynamic postural control is imperative for dancers experiencing LBP.

"A Letter of Appreciation and Suggestions: Improving Methodological Rigor and Questionnaire Design in Ballet Dance Injury Research".

Background: The research paper provides valuable insights into the perspectives of adolescent ballet dancers regarding dance-related injuries. The authors' work is commendable, but several methodological improvements could enhance the study's accuracy and reliability. As a researcher with similar interests, I offer suggestions to strengthen the data collection and analysis process. Methods: Original Approach: The study utilized an online survey for data collection, suitable for close-ended questions but less ideal for qualitative research. Suggested Improvements: Data Collection Method: One-on-one interviews, either structured or semi-structured, are recommended to obtain more accurate and in-depth responses.Sample Size: The original sample size of 15-30 participants is appropriate for direct interactions. However, for online surveys, a larger sample size of approximately 246 participants is recommended. This calculation is based on recent findings showing a prevalence rate of 79.8% in full-time and 63.2% in part-time ballet dancers in Australia, using a 95% confidence interval. Questionnaire Design: The original questionnaire was constructed from a literature review. To improve its quality, input from a focus group of experts should be incorporated. A shorter, clearer, and well-structured questionnaire is suggested to minimize bias. Results: By adopting these methodological enhancements, the study could achieve more reliable and comprehensive data. The inclusion of open-ended questions would provide deeper insights into the dancers' experiences and improve the impact and relevance of the research findings. Conclusions: The research paper offers valuable perspectives on dance-related injuries among adolescent ballet dancers. With the proposed methodological improvements, the study can yield more robust and insightful data, contributing significantly to the understanding of injury experiences in this population.

Carving and making space through dance - Older people using dance to experience their ageing body and challenge ageist discourse.

Drawing on qualitative data from a study of older adults' participation in a contemporary dance group, this paper asks what can be gained from new materialist concepts of the older body, and how they can expand cultural gerontological thinking about embodiment. This paper examines the connections between the older body, movement, thoughts, words and spaces, arguing that dance demonstrates that there is a spatial dimension to embodiment. In drawing from models of materiality emerging in gerontology, this paper provides insights about the experience of age, questioning fundamental categorizations promoted in Western culture, and re-thinks agency in relation to the body and space. Emphasising the importance of the material world in the production of the social has important implications in terms of understanding the experience of ageing within an ageist society.

Injury Prevalence Among Elite Adolescent Ballet Dancers is not Affected by Frequency of Questionnaire Administration: A 6-Month Exploratory Prospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H) is a valid and reliable registration method for self-reported injuries and is regularly used among dancer populations. Monthly questionnaire administration is acceptable in athlete populations but has not been evaluated in dancers. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the influence of weekly versus monthly administration of the OSTRC-H on estimated injury outcomes among elite adolescent ballet dancers. METHODS: Participants (n = 103) were prospectively followed for 6 months and completed the OSTRC-H online, evaluating perceived consequences of self-reported health problems during the previous week and the previous 4 weeks, respectively. Four definitions of dance-related injury were utilized: (1) all complaints, (2) substantial, (3) medical attention, and (4) time-loss injuries. Descriptive statistics estimated: (1) the number of injuries reported (count), (2) average injury prevalence [proportion, 95% confidence intervals (CI)], (3) average severity score (0-100), and (4) days of time loss (count) for each injury definition. The 4 outcome measures were then compared between weekly and monthly registration with paired sample t-tests (P < .05) and overlapping 95% CI. RESULTS: A significant difference between the number of all complaints injuries (weekly: 133; monthly: 94; P < .001) and substantial injuries (weekly: 64; monthly: 45; P = .012) was found. Regardless of injury definition, there were no significant differences between injury prevalence, severity scores, and days of time loss when reported weekly versus monthly. CONCLUSION: Monthly administration of the OSTRC-H is an acceptable method to estimate injury prevalence, severity scores, and days of time loss amongst elite adolescent ballet dancers.

Connected through movement: a feasibility study of online mindfulness-based dance/movement therapy for older adults with age-related cognitive decline during COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: Social isolation and loneliness pose significant public health risks, especially among older adults experiencing age-related cognitive decline (ACD). This mixed methods feasibility study explored the potential of an online mindfulness-based dance/movement therapy (M-DMT) program to alleviate loneliness, enhance psychological well-being, and promote physical activity among older adults experiencing ACD during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Sixteen participants engaged in a 12-week online group M-DMT program. Feasibility was assessed via enrollment and retention rates, attendance, adverse events, credibility/expectancy, participant perceptions, and satisfaction. Qualitative data were collected to capture participants' perspectives on the intervention's usefulness and perceived benefits. The intervention's preliminary impact on loneliness, depression, positive affect, psychological well-being, and physical activity was also examined. RESULTS: The study met all feasibility criteria, with 65% reporting post-intervention improvement. Significant reductions in loneliness and depression, along with enhanced positive affect and psychological well-being, were observed. Though physical activity increased, statistical significance was not achieved. Qualitative feedback highlighted improved social connectedness, overall quality of life, body awareness, kinematic strategy, and satisfaction with the program. CONCLUSION: Online M-DMT holds promise in addressing well-being and loneliness challenges in older adults experiencing ACD. Further research is necessary to validate and expand upon these promising findings.

The geometry of interpersonal synchrony in human dance.

Collective synchronized behavior has powerful social-communicative functions observed across several animal taxa.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Operationally, synchronized behavior can be explained by individuals responding to shared external cues (e.g., light, sound, or food) as well as by inter-individual adaptation.3,8,9,10,11 We contrasted these accounts in the context of a universal human practice-collective dance-by recording full-body kinematics from dyads of laypersons freely dancing to music in a "silent disco" setting. We orthogonally manipulated musical input (whether participants were dancing to the same, synchronous music) and visual contact (whether participants could see their dancing partner). Using a data-driven method, we decomposed full-body kinematics of 70 participants into 15 principal movement patterns, reminiscent of common dance moves, explaining over 95% of kinematic variance. We find that both music and partners drive synchrony, but through distinct dance moves. This leads to distinct kinds of synchrony that occur in parallel by virtue of a geometric organization: anteroposterior movements such as head bobs synchronize through music, while hand gestures and full-body lateral movements synchronize through visual contact. One specific dance move-vertical bounce-emerged as a supramodal pacesetter of coordination, synchronizing through both music and visual contact, and at the pace of the musical beat. These findings reveal that synchrony in human dance is independently supported by shared musical input and inter-individual adaptation. The independence between these drivers of synchrony hinges on a geometric organization, enabling dancers to synchronize to music and partners simultaneously by allocating distinct synchronies to distinct spatial axes and body parts.

Improvements in Postural Stability, Dynamic Balance, and Strength Following 12 Weeks of Online Ballet-Modern Dance Classes for Older Women.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults and affect women at disproportionate rates. Dance has been used to improve postural stability, balance confidence and strength of older adults, but in-person classes are often inaccessible. This quasi-experimental pre-mid-post design study investigates whether 12 weeks of online dance classes can improve postural stability, dynamic balance and strength of women aged 65 plus. 16 participants (median=74 years, IQR=6) recruited via convenience sampling completed 12 weeks of twice weekly 75-minute online dance classes. In-person pre, mid and post assessments used 30-second trials of quiet standing, Star Excursion Balance Test, 30-second Sitto-Stand and Calf-Raise-Senior. Significance was evaluated using Friedman's test with Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test post-hoc (p≤.05). Participants demonstrated a high attendance rate (median=87.5, IQR=4.2%). Decreased mediolateral sway was observed pre-mid in eyes closed (p=.003, r=.76) and foam (p=.02, r=.60) conditions, where the latter also produced decreased sway area (p=.015, r=.63). Greater dynamic balance was demonstrated when reaching laterally (pre-mid p=.008, r=.68; pre-post p=.008, r=.69) and posterior-laterally (pre-post p=.009, r=.75). Participants significantly improved their number of repetitions on the Calf-Raise Senior (mid-post p=.02, r=.60; prepost p=.015, r=.63). Online dance classes are engaging, accessible and effective in decreasing older women's risk of falls and maintaining their independence.

Must The Show Go On? A Qualitative Study Exploring Barriers And Enablers To Manual Therapists' Care Of Dancers.

INTRODUCTION: Dance Medicine is a growing discipline, and healthcare for dancers requires appreciating particularities of their artistic craft. Manual therapists (MTs) are often dancers' first choice when seeking care. Whilst dancers' experiences of injury and healthcare have been extensively researched, little is known of MTs' perspectives of caring for them. AIM: This study aimed to gain an understanding of MTs' perspectives of caring for dancers. Communication, treatment strategies and obstacles to a successful therapeutic alliance were examined to broaden knowledge and improve care. METHODS: This was a qualitative study using Grounded Theory as a framework for data collection and analysis. A purposive sample of 8 participants was recruited-physiotherapists, chiropractors, and osteopaths with 2+ years' experience of treating dancers. Data collection was conducted via semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed verbatim, anonymized, member checked, and later analyzed. RESULTS: Data analysis constructed 3 categories which described the range of participants' experiences. Two categories were identified-(i) A Strangled Industry and (ii) Be-all End-all Patients-and found to culminate in a core category: (iii) Beyond Hands-on, which exemplified MTs' attempts to address clinical challenges. CONCLUSIONS: MTs experience several challenges when providing healthcare to dancers. These encompass psychosocial aspects relating to dancers' internal world and the dance industry environment. It suggests that caring for dancers demands comprehensive, collaborative, and psychologically informed approaches. Emphasis should also be given to developing and implementing dance-specific pain science for all stakeholders.

EMOKINE: A software package and computational framework for scaling up the creation of highly controlled emotional full-body movement datasets.

EMOKINE is a software package and dataset creation suite for emotional full-body movement research in experimental psychology, affective neuroscience, and computer vision. A computational framework, comprehensive instructions, a pilot dataset, observer ratings, and kinematic feature extraction code are provided to facilitate future dataset creations at scale. In addition, the EMOKINE framework outlines how complex sequences of movements may advance emotion research. Traditionally, often emotional-'action'-based stimuli are used in such research, like hand-waving or walking motions. Here instead, a pilot dataset is provided with short dance choreographies, repeated several times by a dancer who expressed different emotional intentions at each repetition: anger, contentment, fear, joy, neutrality, and sadness. The dataset was simultaneously filmed professionally, and recorded using XSENS® motion capture technology (17 sensors, 240 frames/second). Thirty-two statistics from 12 kinematic features were extracted offline, for the first time in one single dataset: speed, acceleration, angular speed, angular acceleration, limb contraction, distance to center of mass, quantity of motion, dimensionless jerk (integral), head angle (with regards to vertical axis and to back), and space (convex hull 2D and 3D). Average, median absolute deviation (MAD), and maximum value were computed as applicable. The EMOKINE software is appliable to other motion-capture systems and is openly available on the Zenodo Repository. Releases on GitHub include: (i) the code to extract the 32 statistics, (ii) a rigging plugin for Python for MVNX file-conversion to Blender format (MVNX=output file XSENS® system), and (iii) a Python-script-powered custom software to assist with blurring faces; latter two under GPLv3 licenses.

Effects of Biodanza® SRT on Motor, Cognitive, and Behavioral Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Rolando Toro's Biodanza (SRT) is a therapeutic strategy that uses movement, music, and emotions to induce integrative living experiences. The present study aims to explore the efficacy of a three-month SRT intervention on motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study employed a randomized between-group design. Twenty-eight non-demented PD patients were enrolled in this study. Out of these, fourteen patients were assigned to the active treatment group using the Biodanza SRT system and fourteen to the untreated control group. The study group attended 2 h SRT classes once a week, completing twelve lessons in twelve weeks. All patients underwent: (i) a neurological examination to measure the severity of motor symptoms, balance, mobility, and risk of falls, and (ii) a neuropsychological battery to assess cognitive status, apathy, depressive symptomatology, and perceived quality of life (QoL), at study entry (T0) and at twelve weeks (T1, end of dance training). At T1, we observed a significant improvement in motor (i.e., severity of motor symptoms and balance) and cognitive parameters (i.e., working memory and delayed verbal memory) in all treated patients compared with the controls. Furthermore, a significant improvement in the social support dimension was found in all treated patients compared to the controls. A trend toward increased apathy was found in untreated patients at T1. The three-month Biodanza intervention significantly ameliorated the motor parameters of PD patients, with a parallel improvement in cognitive and QoL status. Hence, Biodanza intervention can, in the short term, represent a useful personalized medical intervention for the management of Parkinson's disease.

Effectiveness of dance interventions for falls prevention in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Fall prevention is a global health priority. Strength and balance exercise programmes are effective at reducing falls. Emerging literature suggests dance is an enjoyable and sociable form of exercise. However, there is little evidence that dance reduces fall incidence. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis examining effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dance for falls prevention in older adults. Five databases were searched with no restrictions on publication date or intervention settings. Risk of bias was assessed using variants of Cochrane Risk of bias tools, Mixed-Methods Appraisal and Drummond checklist as appropriate. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE. RESULTS: Forty-one studies were included (19 RCTs, 13 quasi-experimental, two mixed-method, seven observational studies, 2,451 participants). Five types of dance interventions were identified: ballroom and Latin dance, dance exercise, cultural dance, dance therapy, and low-impact dance. Meta-analysis was only possible for functional outcome measures: Timed-Up-and-Go (dance versus usual care, mean difference (MD) = 1.36; 95% CI -3.57 to 0.85), Sit-to-Stand (dance versus exercise MD = -0.85; 95% CI -2.64 to 0.93: dance versus education MD = -1.64; 95% CI -4.12 to 0.85), Berg Balance Scale (dance versus usual care MD = 0.61; 95% CI -4.26 to 5.47). There was unexplained variance in effects and no significant differences between intervention and control groups. Overall, certainty of evidence was very low; we are uncertain about the effect of dance interventions in reducing falls. CONCLUSIONS: There is very low certainty evidence for dance as an alternative to strength and balance training if the aim is to prevent falls. No robust evidence on the cost-effectiveness of dance interventions for the prevention of falls was found. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42022382908.