To ensure the representativeness of the sample, we employed a combination of judgment sampling and convenience sampling, and chosed students majoring in DanceSport from Beijing Sport University, Beijing Dance Academy, Chengdu Sport University, Wuhan Sport University, Guangzhou Sport University, Nanjing Sport University, Xi’an Sport University, Shenyang Sport University, Jilin Sport University, Anhui Normal University, Hubei Normal University, Anqing Normal University, and Gannan Normal University as our sample. The selection of these universities was based on the establishment of DanceSport programs and participation in competitions, as well as the students’ partnership experience. (1) The sports institutions have representative programs, thus almost all sports colleges are included. (2) There are relatively few normal universities offering sports dance programs, and even fewer participating in sports dance competitions, hence convenience sampling was adopted. (3) Beijing Dance Academy is an art college that has consistently participated in sports dance competitions.

In the present study, questionnaires were distributed and collected with the assistance of teachers at the chosen universities. We used the uniform instruction of the questionnaire, and randomly changed the order of the items in the scale. A total of 1,122 questionnaires were distributed and collected, with a recovery rate of 100%. The judge used the following inclusion criteria: having partner experience. Additionally, questionnaires with missing information, regular answers, or paradoxical choices were excluded. The final retained 1,029 valid questionnaires, the sample situation is shown in Table 1.

The passion scale designed by Vallerand et al. (2003), which is composed of two dimensions, namely, obsessive passion (OP) and harmonious passion (HP), with a total of 12 items, was utilized to determine the level of passion of the participants in the present study. To better contextualize the present study, we added the theme “DanceSport,” such as “I can fully demonstrate my talent by engaging in DanceSport” in the HP dimension and “Sometimes I feel that DanceSport has completely controlled my behavior and life” in the OP dimension. The passion scale is based on a 5-point Likert scale, which ranges from “strongly disagree” (1 point) to “strongly agree” (5 points). The score of the scale is positively related to passion. The scale had been translated and tested in China with good reliability and validity (Qingbao, 2018). In this study, the passion scale has been shown to have high reliability and validity (Cronbach’s α = 0.91, χ²/df = 1.43, RMSEA = 0.02, GFI = 0.98, AGFI = 0.97, NFI = 0.98).

We used the Partnership Scale-DanceSport Couples (PS-DSC) (Liu et al., 2023a) to determine the participants’ partnership in the present study. The PS-DSC consists of three dimensions, namely, obligatory instrumental ties, expressive ties, and interpersonal perception, with a total of 12 items. The scale is based on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The score of the scale is positively related to the degree of partnership. In this study, the PS-DSC was proven to have high reliability and validity (Cronbach’s α = 0.95, χ²/df = 1.77, RMSEA = 0.03, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.99).

We adopted the athlete engagement questionnaire designed by Lonsdale to evaluate DSE in the present study (Lonsdale et al., 2007). The scale, which includes four dimensions (confidence, dedication, vigor, and enthusiasm), consists of 16 items and is based on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “never” (1 point) to “always” (5 points). A higher score indicates greater engagement of the athletes. The scale had been translated and tested in China with good reliability and validity (Wang et al., 2014). In this study, the scale was shown to have high reliability and validity (Cronbach’s α = 0.97, χ²/df = 2.17, RMSEA = 0.03, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.99).

All the data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 28.0. After we screened all the data obtained from the questionnaire, SPSS 27.0 was used to screen all the data obtained from the questionnaire, conduct descriptive statistics, and perform correlation analysis. We subsequently utilized AMOS 28.0 to complete the confirmatory factor analysis, build structural equation model plots, test the goodness of fit of the model, perform path tests, and assess the bootstrap mediation effect.

We used the untested single-method latent factor approach to control for common method bias because many psychologists believe that the Harman one-way approach to detecting common method bias is problematic (Tang and Wen, 2020; Wen et al., 2018; Xiong et al., 2012). We constructed validation factor models 1 and 2, which contained the method factor separately, and compared the differences in the main fit indices of the two models. The results showed that in Model 1, χ²/df = 1.45, RRMSEA = 0.02, AGFI = 0.97, and TLI = 0.99. In Model 2, χ²/df = 1.46, RRMSEA = 0.02, AGFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.98. ▵χ²/df = 0.01, ▵RMSEA = 0.00, ▵AGFI = 0.00, ▵TLI = 0.01. The change in each fitting index was less than 0.03, indicating that no serious common method bias existed.

We used the Pearson correlation coefficient to determine the relationships between passion, DSP, and DSE.

The results above revealed that, among the students specializing in DanceSport, (1) a significant positive correlation between passion and DSE existed (r = 0.672, p < 0.01), which indicated that the greater the degree of passion the students had, the more they engaged in DanceSport. (2) There was a significant positive correlation between passion and DSP (r = 0.481, p < 0.01), which indicated that the more passion the students had, the better the partnership they had. (3) A significant positive correlation between DSP and DSE existed (r = 0.540, p < 0.01), indicating that the better partnership participants had, the more they engaged in DanceSport (Table 2).

Amos 28.0 was utilized to analyze the mediating effect of DSP through structural equation modeling, using the mean scores of passion, DSP, and DSE dimensions as latent and exogenous variables (Figure 1). According to the results, χ²/df = 1.33, RMSEA = 0.02, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.97, and NFI = 0.99, indicating an acceptable fit of the model.

The path coefficients of the two-by-two relationships between passion, DSP, and DSE are shown in Table 3. (1) Passion had a significant positive effect on DSE (β = 0.631, p < 0.001), (2) passion had a significant positive effect on DSP (β = 0.548, p < 0.001), and (3) DSP had a significant positive effect on DSE (β = 0.217, p < 0.001).

The bootstrap test was performed to test the mediation effect of DSP at the 95% CI via a bias-corrected method with 2000 repetitive samples. As Table 4 shows, the direct effect [Es = 0.725, 95% CI (0.633, 0.818)], indirect effect [Es = 0.137, 95% CI (0.089, 0.195)], and total effect [Es = 0.862, 95% CI (0.786, 0.939)] of passion for DSE were significant, indicating that DSP played a partial mediating role in the process of passion for DSE. The proportion of the mediating effect is 15.9%.

The results of the correlation analysis and path analysis of the present study revealed that the greater the passion of the participants was, the more they engaged in DanceSport, which is consistent with previous opinions (Oh, 2018). The results prove the positive effect of passion on the development of DSEs (β = 0.631).

In the field of sport, passion, as a psychological and behavioral attitude of high-intensity positive emotions that can be experienced by individuals (Ho et al., 2011), is characterized by perceived internal motivation and appreciation of the value of sport (Pertula and Cardon Cameron, 2011), which predicts a high level of emotional state and motivational efficacy, motivating individuals to invest more time, energy and resources in the activities they love (Vallerand and Houlfort, 2019). As Slemp et al. reported, high levels of passion can stimulate more positive emotions in individuals, compelling them to continue investing cognitive resources, time, and energy, which significantly enhances engagement states (Slemp et al., 2021). It’s like many champions and competitors said, they love dance, every night before going to bed the brain will automatically review the dance actions and even dream of dancing. As the passion development theory posits passion is cultivated through a process in which individuals select activities, evaluate their significance, and incorporate them into their self-identity. It indicates that participants with a high level of passion have integrated DanceSport into their sense of self, which strengthens their dedication to the sport and enables them to remain committed despite challenges.

In the present study, our results showed that DSP was positively related to DSE, which is consistent with the results of previous studies (Kim and Park, 2019; Jim and In, 2006; Liu et al., 2024). DSP is an external facilitator that increases the level of athletic engagement of college students (β = 0.217). First, DanceSport is a form in which both couples share benefits and risks, responsibilities and obligations on the basis of mutual trust to achieve their goals. As Majoross noted, partnering is the foundation of the performance of DanceSport couples (Majoross et al., 2008). Couples who neglect partnering can negatively affect DSE and the quality of competitive performance (Davis et al., 2013). In DanceSport, achieving high-quality commitment and optimal performance is the ultimate goal. Therefore, to achieve this goal, couples establish an instrumental relationship to gain mutual benefit, which could further increase their DSE.

Second, couples can predict each other’s behavior, enhance tacit cooperation, and reduce conflicts through a series of harmonious relational interactions, such as communicating with partners, sharing emotions, and fulfilling training plans and commitments. As Kang suggested, interpersonal relationships originate from the process of individual perception of the interaction they are involved in Kang and Bodenhausen (2015). The DSE could be stably increased through the above process.

Ultimately, DSPs seem to be embedded in an idiosyncratic paradigm of “favors” in the Chinese context (Liu et al., 2022). Once college students enroll in school and choose to form a partnership with a good heterosexual dancer to achieve the best goals in DanceSport, the partnership takes on obligatory instrumental attributes. After a period of time, the perception of the DSP continues to grow and subsequently builds an emotional bond that favors the attributes of a “we” rather than an “I-him.” This emotional bond reduces utilitarianism and focuses more on the “human” aspect, which enhances the stability of the partner relationship and, to a certain extent, improves the quality, efficiency and satisfaction of the training (Jim and In, 2006). This suggests that a stable DSP is not only the basis of tacit cooperation but also the key to promoting DSE and even improving the level of competition and sports performance.

We found that passion is an antecedent element that promotes healthy DSPs (β = 0.548), which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Yang, 2016). According to passion theory, passion influences the nature of the interpersonal relationship process in terms of positive and negative emotions. Individuals with high levels of passion are generally energetic and appealing, and they are more likely to form high-quality relationships (Philippe et al., 2010). Passionate individuals often experience positive emotional states and effectively convey their emotions to others, as emotions are inherently social (Frijda, 1994). According to the broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions enable individuals to connect more deeply with themselves and with others (Fredrickson, 2001). Consequently, DanceSport students who exhibit sustained passion are typically more energetic, maintain a positive emotional state, and are capable of forming healthy and positive partnerships through regular, optimistic communication and emotional sharing during dance activities with their partners.

Furthermore, the fast-paced and emotionally intense nature of dances in DanceSport, including sensual movements, close physical proximity, eye contact, and synchronized breathing during training and competitions, requires participants to sustain a high level of passion. This passion can be harnessed to foster healthy and harmonious relationships between dance partners (Liu et al., 2023b).

The findings of the current mediation effect analysis revealed that DSP partially mediated the relationship between passion and DSE, suggesting that the influence of passion on DSE is both direct and indirect. Dancers with sustained passion for DanceSport improve their collaborative coordination with partners through prolonged communication and the sharing of dance experiences, thereby enhancing the stability of the partnership and increasing both partners’ engagement in DanceSport. Furthermore, maintaining a high level of passion during dancing activities strengthens partner cooperation, elevates the quality of performance, fosters the harmonious development of the partnership, and gradually increases the level of DSP for both partners, even over the long term. As a mediating factor, DSP further explains the mechanism of the transformation of passion into DSE among DanceSport students. As a Chinese champion once confessed, she has not met a suitable partner since her partner chose to leave the competition, although she want to enter the competition again, but the result is not ideal. Obviously, this underscores the critical role of DSP in the growth of DanceSport and the nurturing of talent.

In DanceSport, the partnership is a fundamental aspect. Dancers must first establish physical communication, followed by emotional and mental synchronization. However, this is a prolonged and dynamic process that can be easily influenced by differences in partners’ personal lives, education, and the surrounding environment. Therefore, if both partners enhance their communication and understanding, openly share their thoughts, and support the healthy development of their relationship, they will experience greater excitement and enjoyment during training and competitions, ultimately increasing their commitment to DanceSport.