Ecological and construct validity of a new technical level cuban dance field test

The study aimed to explore the sensitivity and specificity of a new methodological approach related to the musical rhythm for discriminating a competitive Cuban dancer’s (CDCs) level. Thirty CDCs (Age 23.87 ± 1.76 years, body mass 60.33 ± 9.45 kg, stature 1.68 ± 0.07 m) were divided into three groups: beginner (BEG, n = 10), intermediate (INT, n = 10), and advanced (ADV, n = 10) according to their training experience/level. Each dancer was assessed while dancing at three different musical rhythms: fast (118 BPM), medium (96 BPM), and slow (82 BPM). The assessed variables were average heart rate (HRM), peak (HRP), and dancing time (DCT). The ADV group succeeded at all three musical combinations (317, 302, 309 s for 82, 96, 118 BPM). The INT group correctly performed only the first two combinations (304, 304 s for 82, 96 BPM), while a significant time difference was shown at the fast musical rhythm (198 ± 6.64 s) compared to the medium (p < 0.001) and slow rhythms (p < 0.001) respectively. As the speed of the musical rhythms increased, the BEG group was not able to follow the rhythm: their results were 300 ± 1.25 s for the slow musical rhythm, 94.90 ± 12.80 s for the medium musical rhythm and 34.10 ± 5.17 s for the fast musical rhythm (p < 0.001). The HRM and HRP grew along with the increase in musical rhythm for all groups (p < 0.001). The ROC analysis showed a high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating the groups for each rhythm’s condition. The BEG and INT groups showed an AUC = 0.864 (95% CI = 0.864–0.954); INT and ADV showed an AUC = 0.864 (95% CI = 0.864–0.952); BEG and ADV showed an AUC = 0.998 (95% CI = 0.993–1.000). The results of this study provided evidence to support the construct and ecological validity of the time of the musical rhythms related to competitive CDCs. Furthermore, the differences in the performances according to various musical rhythms, fast (118 BPM), medium (96 BPM), and slow (82 BPM), succeeded in discriminating a dancer’s level. Coaches and strength and conditioning professionals should include the Cuban Dance Field Test (CDFT) in their test battery when dealing with talent detection, selection, and development.