Čačković, L. et al.: Psychological stress in dancesport Acta Kinesiologica 6 (2012) 2: 71‐74 71 PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS IN DANCESPORT Latica Čačković, Renata Barić and Jadranka Vlašić Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Croatia Review paper Abstract Many factors of different stress levels influence the performance of dancesport couples in various ways. Some of them are invariable and the dancers cannot affect them (judges, other competitors, music, dance floor, dance partner, etc.). Others are variable, i.e., a dancer can affect them promptly (body condition, outfit, choreography, dance skills, etc.). In addition to the foregoing, the psychological stress of dancers depends on his personality traits and the immediate preparation for the competition. Key words: psychological demands, dancesport, psychological preparation, factors of stress Introduction While doing their sport, in addition to physical, technical and tactical demands, ahtletes are also faced with psychological demands. In today's elite sport, the differences in the physical fitness and skills of athletes are small, therefore winning the competition can greatly depend on the psychological state of athletes, i.e., the mental adjustment to the current situation (Bosnar, Balent, 2009). Considering its structural complexity, dancesport belongs to the group of conventionally- aesthetic activities, which means that it has aesthetically formed and choreographically appointed acyclic movement structures that are commonly performed in standard, but also in variable conditions (Milanović, 2009), and the performance evaluation is based on the subjective grade of the judges. Considering the large number of dancesport couples on the dance floor competing at the same time (finals – 6, qualifying rounds – 8- 12 per heat), it is possible to determine that the grading system is very subjective, which is one of the reasons why dancesport is not included in the list of Olympic disciplines. The desire of every dancer on the dance floor is to give the impression of the ease of movement backed by good physical and psychological preparation. Psychological preparation is very important because the performance of dancesport couples on the competition is influenced by many factors of different stress levels. Some of them are: judges, other competitors, music, dance floor, audience, dance partner, etc. A dancer must learn to cope with some of them, while keeping others under control. Dancesport was on the border between art and sport for a long time. It was recognized as a sport in 1997 by the International Olympic Committee. The international governing body in dancesport is the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF), which incorporates a well-defined competition system. There are many dance styles covered by the term dancesport, but the term usually implies two groups of dances - standard (English waltz, Tango, Viennese waltz, Slowfox, Quickstep) and Latin American (Samba, Cha-cha- cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive). The characteristics of standard dances include closed posture (requiring physical contact with a partner), as well as elegant and progressive motion on the dance floor in a counterclockwise direction. Latin dances are characterized by closed, semi- open and open figures which require a visual connection between partners, in addition to their physical connection, so that they can communicate in a way more convincing and interesting to the audience. Dancesport is a competitive discipline and competing dancers are faced with various problems associated with competitive performances in the same way as athletes in other sports. The goal of this paper is to explain the background of the stress caused by competitions and the sources of psychological pressure, as well as the most frequent errors in preparing for the competition which can enhance the dancer's perception of stress. Competition as a source of stress Any kind of competition is a source of stress for the contestants. "Stress is a nonspecific reaction of the body to any demand that is placed on it." (Cox, 2005; Selye, 1983). Stress as a condition of the organism is accompanied by intense physical and emotional experience, managed by the autonomic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that is located in all parts of the body and mainly supervises the functions of most internal organs - organs which independently controls the actions necessary to sustain life (Matković & Ružić 2009). Symptoms of stress are increased heart rate, sweating, and blushing, which can occur as a result of the increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system (part of the autonomic nervous system primarily responsible for changes in physical functioning associated with arousal). These symptoms are equal to, although of slightly higher intensity than, the symptoms that occur when an athlete is excited. In addition to physical threats, the autonomic nervous system responds to mental and emotional threats (Winkelhuis, 2001) as well.