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International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Development

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Dance Sport as a Tool for Cognitive and Social Development of Youth: Forming Nonverbal Leadership in the Digital Age

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Valeriia Zhyltsova 1 ,
4 Dance with Me Long Island Studio Manager New York City, USA

Abstract

Within the framework of the study, dance sport was verified as a neurocognitive instrument for rehabilitation and the restructuring of social skills. Particular attention is devoted to an analysis of the authorial pedagogical methodology implemented within the ecosystem of the Dance with Me studios (Long Island, USA), which is examined as a practical model for overcoming communicative barriers and restoring the capacity for live interpersonal interaction. The methodological framework of the study relies on a systems analysis of neurobiological data associated with activation of the mirror neuron system (MNS), on the social signal processing paradigm, and on an empirical case study that makes it possible to trace the transformation of behavioral patterns in the real practice of instruction. This combination of approaches provides the opportunity to correlate neurophysiological mechanisms, social markers of behavior, and pedagogical interventions within a single analytic field. The results obtained indicate that partnered interaction in ballroom dance forms a functionally extended mirror neuron system (extended MNS), which ensures high-intensity training of predictive coding and haptic (tactile) communication. These effects are fundamentally unattainable in individual sports, where there is no structured necessity for constant synchronization of movements, emotional states, and somatic signals with a partner. The Lead & Follow methodology applied within Ballroom Dance demonstrates the capacity to transform stable patterns of digital passivity into formed skills of adaptive leadership and sensitive following, which manifests in an increase in the quality of interpersonal coordination and in the conscious management of social roles. On the basis of the totality of theoretical and empirical data, dance sport appears well grounded for integration into educational programs as a method of psychosocial correction and the prevention of communicative dysfunctions among youth. The authorial pedagogical methodology demonstrates high effectiveness in restoring somatic empathy, that is, the ability to subtly perceive and bodily attune to the emotional and motor state of another person, which makes this approach a meaningful instrument for the rehabilitation of social skills under conditions of digital overload.

Keywords

Dance sport, Generation Z, nonverbal leadership, mirror neurons, digital socialization, Dance with Me, haptic communication, Social Signal Processing, Lead & Follow

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