Salsa-Dancing to Better Health.
Gym memberships are expensive, and many residents of low-income housing in Boston—especially women—don’t feel safe going out for a walk or run in their neighborhood, says MPH student Cindy Retamozo.
Yet, as is well acknowledged in public health circles, “people need exercise.”
So for her practicum project, Retamozo evaluated another opportunity for physical activity: Salsa in the Park.
Salsa in the Park is a weekly, free, family-friendly summer event hosted by MetaMovements Latin Dance Company. It draws almost 500 guests each week of the summer for salsa lessons, social dancing, live music, and performances by professional dance groups at Blackstone Community Center in Boston’s South End, close to both high- and low-income communities.
Retamozo found 78 percent of guests got their CDC-recommended 20 minutes of physical activity for the day by dancing at Salsa in the Park. Almost 13 percent got a whole week’s recommended 150 minutes.
Importantly, “people felt safe at the event,” Retamozo says. Free, safe, and a great way to exercise: “I thought, this makes sense, this could be an exercise intervention.”
Retamozo also found the attendees were a diverse crowd: 41 percent of guests identified as white, 30 percent as Hispanic/Latino, 10 percent as Black/African American, 7 percent as Asian/Pacific Islander, and 11 percent as multiple or “other” backgrounds.
Through the evaluation, Retamozo aims to bring more funding to MetaMovements, but she also says a great next step would be to look specifically at socio-economic background and see whether Salsa in the Park could draw in more residents of nearby public housing.
She leaves that to next summer’s practicum participants: Retamozo says she is at least the third SPH student in a row to work with MetaMovements, including her practicum supervisor, Kaitlin Bresee (’15), who is now a program coordinator at the organization.
Retamozo says that MetaMovements shows how dance can play a major role in public health.
“They’re very interested in bridging gaps between people of different backgrounds,” she explains, “and one of the goals of public health is to reach everyone regardless of where you come from.”