Energy Cost of Disco Dancing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the energy cost of dancing in the conditions that prevail in disco clubs. To avoid any hindrance in the movements of the dancers, oxygen uptake was assessed by retroextrapolating the 0₂ recovery curve to time zero of recovery. Males and females required a similar energy cost for disco dancing, that is 30.1 ± 10.3 ml 0₂ · kg_-1 · min^-1 for a fundamental music rhythm of 135.0 ± 7.7 bpm (X ± SD = for 15 university students). Males, being heavier than females, have a higher absolute energy expenditure (X ± SD = 48.5 ± 15.2 and 31.7 ± 13.7 kj · min^-1). Heart rate was 134.5 ± 13.4 bpm. Total energy expenditure for a dancing evening (90 min of active time) was estimated to be 4350 and 2850 kJ for the males and the females respectively. At approximately 60 and 70% [Vdot]O₂ max for the males and females respectively, disco dancing could be efficient for improving aerobic fitness and for controlling excess body fat. In this respect, and from the literature, disco dancing (rock and roll, hustle, twist, disco) appears almost twice as strenuous as square dancing and most other traditional dances (rumba, fox trot, waltz). The above figures are averages, and intra-individual variations of 3.0 ml kg^-1 min^-1 (average difference between two trials) and inter-individual variations of 10.3 ml · kg^-1 · min^-1 (standard deviation) suggest caution before applying the average scores to any individual. Results reported above did not appear to be affected by the music rhythm, at least not for the range observed in this study (120–150 bpm). Indeed the energy cost of dancing on two music rhythms (128.0 ± 8.9 and 140.0 ± 9.8 bpm) was not significantly different; furthermore, the correlation between the rhythm and the oxygen uptake was only r = 0.1.

Key Words:

• energy expenditure
• oxygen uptake
• disco dancing
• retroextrapolation method
• heart rate