Researchers at Northumbria University in England have released the findings of a study that posed an intriguing question: What dance moves are most attractive to women? Nineteen men were recorded dancing and evaluated by a group of 37 women in an attempt to find that coveted answer.
Instead of asking women to watch actual footage of men dancing, the research team used motion-capture technology to make 3-D avatars. This was done to remove any visual bias, such as preference for a particular body type. All the men danced to the same simple drum beat. Afterward, the women rated the dancers from most to least attractive.
The research team, led by Dr. Nick Neave, identified the body parts women focus on when judging male dance partners, which turned out to be the torso, head and right knee. The avatars that showed large, varied movements of these key parts were consistently ranked as the most attractive by the women who participated in the study. Repetitive or jerky movements, on the other hand, were generally ranked low, especially if the torso remained relatively still.
"I spoke to a choreographer before we published the paper [who] supported our data ... Core body strength is the key to dancing ability," Neaves said. "If the core body is not strong and flexible, the dancer can only generate 'wooden' movements."
This has been humorously referred to as "dad dancing," since the movements are often seen in older men with a reduced range of motion.
The study was conducted in England, which may mean that the preferences were, at least in part, influenced by cultural factors.
"This is possible," Neaves said. "There may be certain movement ... favored by women in certain cultures."
Nevertheless, Neaves believes this is unlikely because the movements that were most important to women are generally indicators of health and strength. In studies of animal mating behavior, so-called 'indicator' traits give an honest display of an individual's genetic quality. For example, tail length in some bird species, such as the peacock, is an indicator that allows females to evaluate males prior to choosing them as mates.
Neaves and his team believe that movement of the torso is one such gauge for human females and "should thus be providing basic signals that are culturally universal."
In other words, women all over the world should have similar preferences for dancers. This statement, however, still needs to be confirmed.
"We cannot be sure of this until we have tested the perception of the avatars in different cultures," Neaves said.
Of course, not everyone evaluates dancing ability in such quantitative terms. When asked, University students offered some different ideas of what constituted good or bad dancing.
"If you can dance like Michael Jackson, that means you are attractive," fourth-year College student Alicia Clark said. Confidence is also a factor, she said, and dancing is considered bad if "I can't see [that] your heart is in it."
Responding to the music and one's partner is also important, fourth-year College student Tori Soler said.
"Dancing that follows the rhythm of the music but is varied and is complementary to the partner is particularly good," Soler said. Bad dancing, on the other hand "doesn't follow the feel of the music, either too intense or too lethargic."
Although opinions on the subject differ, it is an area that offers many opportunities for further research. Neave plans to continue his work in the area, exploring whether attractive dancing is, indeed, influenced by culture, and also whether it correlates with body symmetry or age. Additionally, Neave plans to examine which female dance moves are most attractive to men.
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