Research

LAB:SYNC Seeks Adults 18 to 85 for Study on Dance Participation and Health

Researchers from Laboratory for the Scientific Study of Dance (LAB:SYNC) at UMass Amherst are seeking adults to participate in their new study, "Measurement of Professional Dance Training Exposures and Health Correlates in 18- to 85-year-olds."

Participants must be able to walk safely on a treadmill and be interested in dancing solo while in the laboratory. No prior dance training is required.

Dance Study

Participants must be 18- to 85-years old who are:

  • able to refrain from eating any food or drinking any beverages, except for water, for four to eight hours
  • able to engage in vigorous exercise
  • nonsmokers, not pregnant, without a pacemaker or other implanted medical device
  • not taking medications that may impact cardiovascular responses to exercise
  • without a bone, joint, or soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament) problem that could be made worse by becoming more active
  • without a chronic medical condition, such as a heart condition, metabolic or renal disease

Participants will be asked to: 

  • wear an activity monitor on their wrist while engaged in their daily business as usual for nine days 
  • make three visits to the lab at UMass Amherst (about six hours in total) and complete a small number of physical health assessments, including resting energy expenditure and an EKG
  • provide saliva and fingernail samples; complete an iDXA scan
  • complete questionnaires on mental health status
  • walk comfortably on a treadmill
  • dance in the lab
  • describe their experiences of dancing in the lab 

Participants will receive up to $100 for their time. 

To sign up for the study and learn if you are eligible: https://arcsapps.umassmed.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=J4RY9CFNKX