Disadvantages of Salsa Dancing in the Hot Sun

This is the second and last article with the effects of dancing Salsa in the sun. Many Salsa party and festival organizers choose to do a great portion of their dance activities outside in the hot sun during the summer months. Temperatures rise literally while hundreds of thousands Salseros and Salseras show off their best Dance moves for hours at a time. The advantages of dancing in the sun can be read here.

Now I will elaborate on the disadvantages of  long-term exposure to the solar radiation.

Disadvantages of the Sun

Solar Stress

The time you have to enjoy the sun become scarce when you have a full-time job and a household to manage, so you want to enjoy the sun rays as much as you possibly can. This desire becomes stressful when you try to plan a “solar date” in a full agenda. Ybe Meesters, a Dutch 'Season Psychologist', says there is no adequate term to describe the stress caused by the desire to enjoy the sun as much as you want to. “You will want to use as much time as you possibly can to enjoy the sun after a long winter period. The urge [or drive] to have the maximum enjoyment of the sun will disappear eventually with time, because of the situation normalizing. Until that time arrives, the stress building up for enjoying the sun as much as you want to will remain intact.”

Skin Aging

Do you remember the scene of the movie “There's something about Mary” in which Cameron Diaz's landlord vegetates in the sun by using a large reflective surface? That is a very good example of what the sun can do to your skin. It is not a very beautiful picture: the sun slows down the production of fibroblasts and collagen, and these are the essential materials you need to keep your skin flexible. The sun also breaks down the existing body tissues. This effect can be compared with rubber being exposed to the sun for a long period. The rubber becomes brittle, it stops stretching, and it will break when you try to stretch it. Your skin can become thicker and even get a yellowish color if you expose it too long to the hazardous sun rays without protection. Therefore, it is important to use a high factor sun block when you are dancing Salsa for hours at a time in the hot sun. 

Sweat & Hyperthermia

The ideal body temperature for humans to function properly is 37 degree Celcius, or 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. Our two millions sweat glands come in action when our body temperature rises or falls. They are our personal air conditioners secreting fluids through our pores to evaporate on our epidermis. The heat which is necessary for the evaporation is extracted from the body. The body evaporates two liters of fluids an hour when dancing Salsa in the sun.

Hypertermia occurs when you get an elevated body temperature due to failed thermal regulation, which causes your body to produce or absorb more heat than you possibly can dissipate. The common causes are heat stroke and adverse reactions to drugs. Heat stroke causes the body temperature to climb uncontrollably, and Hyperthermia is a relatively rare side effect of many drugs, especially those that  affect the nervous system. When you are dancing Salsa in the hot sun, it is recommendable to drink lots of fluids – preferably water – and cold sugar-based beverages. Dance a maximum of three fast songs in a row and then jump in the pool or the sea for a couple of minutes to cool off. Hats and caps are good to protect your face from the sun, but they will keep the heat inside your brains: you do not want that.  Wear as less as you possibly can – or what is allowed – and change wet or sweaty clothes frequently. Make sure you also eat healthy snack – preferably vegetables and fruits – in between. Drinking (lots of) alcohol when dancing Salsa in the sun will only precipitate your loss of body fluids.

And remember: dancing Salsa in the shade accompanied by a soft breeze of wind is very good for your health! And Hyperthermia or heat strokes can also occur when watching scenes like the following instructional video iMambo.tv made on dancing Basic Bachata during the Curacao Salsa Tour 2007.