Acrobatic rock'n'roll is a high-intensity dance discipline that includes demanding choreographic and acrobatic elements, requiring a high level of explosive power and endurance. As such, dancers must possess well-developed motor abilities and a high degree of physical fitness. Due to the lack of dance-specific field tests for assessing the cardiorespiratory fitness of acrobatic rock’n’roll dancers, the purpose of this master's thesis was to develop a new test - the RAFT (Rock'n'Roll Aerobic Fitness Test) - that reflects the specific characteristics of the dance style and to examine its reliability.
The sample included 10 participants (5 females and 5 males), aged between 15 and 26 years, all of whom compete under the Dance Sport Federation of Slovenia and regularly participate in national and international dance competitions. Among them were two youth pairs and three adult pairs, all of whom achieved top results at the national and international level during the previous competition season. The study involved measurements of basic anthropometric characteristics, the execution of the Conconi test on a treadmill, and two repetitions (with a two-week interval) of the newly developed RAFT endurance test. It involved the continuous performance of the basic rock'n'roll step at six different speed levels, which progressively increased the intensity of the dance test. Within the test protocol, standardized conditions were ensured for all participants.
We confirmed that the newly developed RAFT test is an effective tool for assessing the aerobic fitness of acrobatic rock'n'roll dancers. Despite certain limitations, such as lower repeatability of some physiological parameters and reduced reliability, the high correlations between test results are encouraging and indicate the test's practical usefulness. With improvements, such as a larger sample size, its validity and reliability could be further enhanced.
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