Analysis of Pelvic Alignment in University Ballet Majors

Abstract

Classical ballet technique emphasizes proper alignment of the pelvis to optimize dancer performance. A series of three experiments was conducted in a major university ballet program to determine: 1. the average degree of pelvic tilt for freshman ballet majors, 2. the degree of pelvic tilt acceptable to university ballet teachers, and 3. whether an individual tutoring intervention could improve pelvic alignment in dancers who displayed a high degree of anterior pelvic tilt. Experiment 1 showed that anterior pelvic tilt for 17 freshman ballet majors averaged 13.4°. Experiment 2 revealed a mean anterior tilt of 11.4° for photographs rated as acceptable tilt by ballet teachers at the same university. Experiment 3 showed that three dancers who participated in six hours of individual tutoring improved their pelvic alignment by 3° to 4°, enough to move two of the dancers into the acceptable range. These studies suggest that a moderate degree of anterior pelvic tilt may be common and acceptable for university ballet majors, and they show that dancers with excessive anterior tilt can improve their alignment with as little 6 hours of individual tutoring.