Recent research shows that motivation plays a substantial role in our leisure behaviour. For example, dancing is closely linked to music and mostly requires the presence and physical closeness of a partner as opposed to most other exercise activities.

Although dance is clearly a form of exercise, it differs in a number of aspects. However, we know very little about why people continue or discontinue to dance, or why dancing is chosen as a recreational sporting activity.Įxercise is ‘a sub-category of physical activity, that is planned structured purposeful and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective which is the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness’ (p. According to a recent study conducted on a nationally representative sample of the United States dancing is a common activity among adolescents, with a past-month prevalence rate of 20.9%. Furthermore, there is much evidence to support the benefits of dancing including improvements in psychological wellbeing, increased self-esteem, and anxiety reduction. Dance is an activity that promotes fitness and improves aerobic and physical working capacity.

Dancing can provide a strenuous but enjoyable way of exercising that can improve people’s level of fitness and to encourage a more active lifestyle. Health experts constantly face the challenge of how to increase physical fitness and psychological wellbeing. The explored motives such as Mood Enhancement, Socialising and Escapism appear to be similar to those identified in other forms of behaviour such as drinking alcohol, exercise, gambling, and gaming. The eight dimensions identified cover possible motives for social recreational dancing, and the DMI proved to be a suitable measurement tool to assess these motives. Dancing intensity was predicted by three motivational factors: Mood Enhancement, Socialising, and Escapism. Mood Enhancement was the strongest motivational factor for both males and females, although motives differed according to gender. Eight motivational factors were identified via exploratory factor analysis and comprise a new Dance Motivation Inventory: Fitness, Mood Enhancement, Intimacy, Socialising, Trance, Mastery, Self-confidence and Escapism.

The sample comprised 447 salsa and/or ballroom dancers (68% female mean age 32.8 years) who completed an online survey. The aim of the current study was to explore the motivational basis of recreational social dancing and develop a new psychometric instrument to assess dancing motivation. Dancing is a popular form of physical exercise and studies have show that dancing can decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve psychological wellbeing.

Dmi tool hp