Using Biomechanical Optimization To Interpret Dancers' Pose Selection For A Partnered Spin

: Our goal was to determine whether expert swing dancers physically optimize their pose for a partnered spin. In a partnered spin, two dancers connect hands and spin around a single vertical axis. We describe the pose of a couple by the angles of their joints in a plane. These angles were outputs of an optimization model that gave the ideal pose for a couple. A biomechanical model built in Mathematica allowed comparisons to live dancers with the use of a motion capture system.