"Strength Assessment Protocol in Pre-Professional Ballet Dancers" by Simona Di Nardo and Ivan Mascio
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Keywords

Performing Arts Athletic Trainers’ Society Meeting and Conference 2025

Abstract

Purpose: This research project aimed to investigate the effects, particularly regarding the ability to generate force, that could emerge following a ballet class. The purpose of the study was to support the thesis that low levels of fitness and performance in professional and amateur dancers, should be considered a significant gap that needs to be addressed. Larger will be the gap and bigger will be the demand of a dancer to be prepared athletically. While the shorter the gap and more efficient the artistic side of the dance performance will be. As a result, a stronger and healthier body will support and let the artistic side to be the main character on the stage. Subjects: The assessment protocol was applied to a sample of male and female dance students (14 and 18 years old, respectively) at a professional level, with an average age of 18 years, at a renowned dance school in Tuscany (Italy): “Ateneo della Danza” in Siena. The overall project was supervised from the Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo. Materials and Methods: Two ballet classes were conducted, each including fundamental exercises such as jumps and virtuosism (fouettés for girls and tour à la seconde for boys). The assessment protocol involved two measurement stations, each supervised by an operator. The evaluation was conducted both before and immediately after the class. Two modes of force analysis were chosen: one illustrative of the explosive-reactive force of the lower limb (Repeated Countermovement Jump: RCMJ) and the other localized and specific to the upper limb, also correlated with interesting index such as general fitness, nutritional status, bone mineral density, percentage of lean mass, etc. (Hand Grip Strength: HGS). The HGS test was performed using a Baseline® W99713 hydraulic dynamometer, while the RCMJ test was conducted using the FreePower Jump Sensorize System and Software. Based on literature, the combination of HGS and CMJ tests has been applied to athletes to assess their overall neuromuscular capacity. These tests have also been used as indicators of fatigue in response to training or sports-specific performance. Any significant changes in the measured indices would confirm or not the training nature of the proposed dance session and the responsiveness and sensitivity of the subjects to that particular stimulus. Results and Data Analysis: A Student's t-test was conducted to compare pre- and post-class values and assess their statistical significance, with a minimum error set at α = 2.05. The analysis showed no statistically significant differentiation in HGS parameters between pre- (M = 28.18 kg ± SD = 7.57) and post-class (M = 28.15 kg ± SD = 6.83) values, for both genders (p = .98), as well as in girls (p = .77) and boys (p = .66). However, the values obtained seemed to be lower than those reported in other studies involving subjects of the same age engaged in different sports. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant improvement in the variables characterizing the RCMJ test after the class. The divergence between pre- and post-class values of the RCMJ test, considering both subject populations, showed an extremely significant increase post- class in parameters such as maximum elevation height, Qmax (p < .001); maximum Bosco elevation, Bmax (p < .001); and average power, Paverage (p < .001). Conclusions: Based on the results obtained, it is hypothesized that the analyzed technical session may not overload the body, as there was no post-class central fatigue observed (HGS values did not undergo a statistically significant change). However, the significant increase in parameters related to elastic-reactive capacity in the lower limbs should not be underestimated, probably due to the Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP) phenomenon. This phenomenon generates acute improvements in short-duration power and muscle performance, as seen in jump height and change of direction speed. The adjustments determined by PAP are both neural and muscular in nature. It was not clarified, however what mechanisms underlie this localized activation,as there were no post-class neural adjustments observed, considering HGS values. It was also not possible to affirm that it was specifically the proposed dance session that caused the variations pre- and post-class. This is because the students were tested at their baseline level, without comparing the data with those that could be obtained in a condition of preparation for specific performance (warm-up). Given these considerations, there is a confirmed need for further research to support this hypothesis to enhance the scientific evidence of physiological performance markers for this group of virtuosos. Additionally, there is a need to develop evaluation and training protocols specifically for this special category of athletes. We should consider the sports science adding value to the dance training. This would help consolidate their physical abilities in support of technical skills, thereby elevating the artistic sphere that distinguishes their profession from other types of physical-motor disciplines. Otherwise, we’re only pretending to elevate their performances during lessons and on the stage. It’s extremely necessary to consider dancers as humans first, with physiological needs and feelings. This is the element that distinguishes a dancer from an athlete: the need to take care of the emotional aspect, balancing and framing this aspect within the demand for physical performance. So far, dance is placed before being a person, even before the body can adapt to the aesthetic demands of the discipline or the requests of the choreographer. However, there should be health above all. Furthermore, the body is not confined to technique classes, training sessions, or performances and choreography; rather, it is always inhabited, as long as there is life.

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