Monitoring Changes in Aerobic Fitness Using the Dance-Specific Aerobic Fitness Test (DAFT): A Longitudinal Study of Contemporary Dance and Dance Teacher Students

Purpose: This longitudinal study aimed to monitor changes in heart rate (HR) variables during the dance-specific aerobic fitness test (DAFT) in contemporary dance and dance teacher students across their first, second, and third academic year. A secondary objective was to examine the influence of sex (female/male) and educational program (dance or dance teacher) on these changes. Methods: Between 2016 and 2024, a total of 408 students from a contemporary dance or dance teacher program completed the DAFT twice per year across their first, second, and third year of study. Peak heart rate (HR peak ) was determined at the end of the DAFT and heart rate recovery (HRR) was determined after 1 minute of rest. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess within-subject changes in HR peak and HRR over time. Between-subjects main effects of sex and educational program were analyzed, along with interactions between time and these factors. Results: The repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of time for HR peak ( P < .001, ŋ p 2 = 0.293). Pairwise comparisons showed that each subsequent measurement of HR peak was significantly different from the first 2 measurements (September and February, year 1). HR peak was significantly higher for females than for males at all 6 measurements ( P = .003, ŋ p 2 = 0.234). A significant interaction effect between time and educational program ( P = .023, ŋ p 2 = 0.085) was found. There was no significant effect of time for HRR ( P = .159). Conclusion: HR peak at the end of the DAFT test decreased over the course of 3 academic years. This decrease was more pronounced in dance students compared to dance teacher students, indicating that training intensity and curriculum structure influence aerobic adaptations. HRR remained stable over time, suggesting that additional targeted training may be needed to increase recovery capacity when required.