Movement concepts approach in studies on flamenco dancing: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Flamenco is a highly emotional and demanding dance form. It is important to understand how the dancer’s body works in order to improve fitness levels and reduce injuries. Thus, our investigation reviewed studies on kinesiological aspects of flamenco over recent years. Methods: The review was restricted to experimental studies. Literature searches were conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Ebsco: SPORTDiscus with Full Text, Medline, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Health Source – Consumer Edition. After limiting the search, 180 potential articles remained for analysis. Results: A total of 27 papers on different aspects of flamenco dance were finally selected: biomechanics (14), podiatry (6), injury incidence (3), anthropometry (2), and physiology (2). These studies have applied well-established methods from sports studies. However, we noted a number of potential limitations when applied to flamenco. Conclusions: The evidence from this review shows that flamenco dancing demands high levels of effort. Further research is required to understand how the dancer’s body works in order to improve fitness levels and reduce injuries. Most of the results presented here are consistent among studies. However, there is a great scarcity of research addressing flamenco movement in a more comprehensive perspective.

Keywords:

• Dance
• flamenco
• podiatry
• biomechanics
• physiology
• anthropometry

ORCID

Alfonso Vargas-Macías http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1222-6133

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Centro de Investigación Flamenco Telethusa [grant number PI/A1/2015].