Does partnered dance promote health? The case of tango Argentino

Abstract

Aims: Cultural activities, including music, singing and dance, have often been conceptualised as enhancing well-being as well as promoting mental and physical health. This paper focuses on partnered dance in the context of `cultures of fitness'.¹ Its purpose was to investigate the dancers of tango Argentino, and to explore potential health benefits in this group.

Methods: Participants (N = 110) completed a self-developed inventory, which was, in part, based on interviews and observations as a participant observer. The inventory addresses educational, musical, and socio-economic background, motivation for and investment in dancing tango, and other leisure activities.

Results: Dancers are characterized by high-level education and socio-economic status. Motivation appears to be predominantly driven by both hedonistic and social factors, accounting altogether for nearly 60% of the variance. The majority of individuals started dancing tango only in their 30s. Physical investment in terms of time and money indicate tango dancing as a highly important activity that seems to involve substantial opportunity of moderate physical exercise, social interaction and emotional reward. In consequence, tango dance was identified as the primary leisure activity.

Conclusions: Tango dancers were identified as highly educated individuals, who are dedicated to the practice in many respects, including physical and emotional. They draw from similar motivations as compared to participants of other musical activities such as singing and listening to music. Notably, aspects of physical fitness are more prominent in this group. The intensity with which tango is practised seems to depend to some degree on individual lifestyles. Taken together, the results suggest a high degree of personal involvement in tango dance as a primary leisure activity. Implications of partnered dance for social, emotional, and physical well-being and health promotion demand further research.

Keywords

arts and health partnered dance tango Argentino physical exercise

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Paulson S. How various `cultures of fitness' shape subjective experiences of growing older. Age & Society 2005; 25: 229—244

The Special Issue of The Journal of The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health from May 2006; 126(3)

Staricoff RL Arts in health: the value of evaluation. The Journal of The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 2006; 126: 116—120

Hacking S. , Secker J. , Kent L. , Shenton J. , Spandler H. Mental health and arts participation: the state of the art in England . The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 2006; 126: 121—127

Hansson A. , Hilleras P. , Forsell Y. What kind of self-care strategies do people report using and is there an association with well-being? Social Indicators Research 2005; 73: 133—139

Walker SN , Sechrist KR , Pender NJ Health-promoting lifestyle profile: development and psychometric characteristics . Nursing Research 1987; 36: 76—81

Fox KR Physical activity and mental health promotion: the natural partnership . International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2000; 2: 4—12

Edwards SD Promoting mental health: a call for a multicultural human movement perspective . International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2005; 7: 18—29

Morris T. , Summers J. Sport psychology: theory, applications and issues. Brisbane : John Wiley and Sons, 1995

10.

Weinberg RS , Gould D. Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Leeds: Human Kinetics, 1999

11.

Scully D. Physical exercise and psychological well-being: a critical review . British Association of Sport and Medicine 1998; 32: 111—120

12.

Taylor J. , Taylor C. Psychology of Dance. Champaign: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1995

13.

Bernstein P. Eight theoretical approaches in dance movement therapy. Dubuque: Kednall Hunt , 1979

14.

Chodorow J. Dance therapy and depth psychology. New York: Routledge, 1991

15.

Levy FJ Dance/movement therapy. A healing art. Reston, MD: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 1900 Association Dr, Reston, VA 22091, 1992

16.

Mills LJ , Daniluk, JC Her body speaks: The experience of dance therapy for woman survivors of child abuse. Journal of Counseling & Development 2002; 80: 61—89

17.

Palo-Bengtsson L. , Winblad B. , Ekman , SL Social dancing: a way to support intellectual, emotional and motor functions in persons with dementia . Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 1998; 5: 545—554

18.

Ravilin T. , Kylmä J. , Korhonen T. Dance in mental health nursing: a hybrid concept analysis. Issues in Mental Health Nursing 2006; 27: 307—317

19.

Merker B. Music: the missing Humboldt system. Musicae Scientiae , 2002; 6: 3—22

20.

Wallin NL , Merker B , Brown S , editors. The Origins of Music. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2000

21.

Dissanayake E. Antecedents of the Temporal Arts in Early Mother—Infant Interaction. In: Wallin NL , Merker B , Brown S , editors. The Origins of Music. Cambridge : MIT Press, 2000. p. 389—410

22.

Merker B. Synchronus Chorussing and Human Origins. In: Wallin NL , Merker B , Brown S , editors. The Origins of Music. Cambridge : MIT Press, 2000. p. 315—328

23.

Freeman W. A Neurobiological Role of Music in Social Bonding. In: Wallin NL , Merker B , Brown S , editors. The Origins of Music . Cambridge : MIT Press, 2000. p. 411—425

24.

Miller G. Evolution of Human Music through Sexual Selection. In: Wallin NL , Merker B , Brown S , editors. The Origins of Music , Cambridge : MIT Press, 2000. p. 329—360

25.

Marks R. Dance-based exercise and t'ai chi and their benefits for people with arthritis: a review. Health Education 2005 ; 105: 374—391

26.

Clift S. , Hancox G. The perceived benefits of singing: findings from preliminary surveys of a university college choral society. Journal of The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 2001; 121: 248—256

27.

Kreutz G. , Bongard S. , Grebe D. , Rohrmann S. , Hodapp V. Effects of choir singing or listening on secretory IgA, cortisol, and emotional state. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2004 ; 27: 623—634

28.

Fleischmann G. Cyber — Tango. Argentinscher Tango im Internet, 1995—2006. Available online at: www.cyber-tango.com (accessed 12 May 2006)

29.

Castro DS The Argentine Tango As Social History, 1880—1955: The Soul of the People (Latin American Studies, Vol 3). Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press , 1991

30.

Sloboda JA , O'Neill S. Emotions in everyday listening to music. In Juslin NP , Sloboda JA , editors. Music and Emotion. Theory and Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. p. 415—430

31.

Sturm R. The Economics of Physical Activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2004; 27: 126—135

32.

North AC , Hargreaves DJ , O'Neill SA The Importance of Music to Adolescents. British Journal of Educational Psychology 2000; 70: 255—272

33.

Mitchell LA , MacDonald AR , Knussen C. , Serpell MG A survey investigation of the effects of music listening on chronic pain. Psychology of Music 2007: 39—59

34.

DeNora T. Music as a technology of the self. Poetics, 1999; 27: 31—56