Effects of Manohra Dance, the Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, on Physical Performance in Children

Abstract

The characteristics of Manohra dance are delicate because of the high physical performance specific posture, which can communicate the meaning. The purpose of this study is to study the effects of exercise with Manohra dance on physical performance, which were postural balance, muscle strength, and flexibility. Twenty-four female students aged 12-13 years old were included in the training program. They were randomly divided into two groups, experimental and control groups, twelve in each group. All subjects were trained with a strength and flexibility program as circuit training, only the experimental group was additionally trained with eight specific postures of the Manohra dance. All subjects were performed 3 times a week for 8 weeks continuously. The study involved three testing sessions pre-training, after 4-weeks and 8-weeks intervention. Compared between groups by using an independent t-test, significant at p<0.05. The results of experimental group showed higher significant difference in postural balance in all directions during the performance of YBT (p<0.05; YBT 1 p=0.044, YBT 2 p=0.004 and YBT 3 p=0.017) and flexibility (p<0.05; p=0.047) than the control group at week 8th. While there was no significant difference between groups of leg muscle strength (p>0.05). As a result, it was determined that the Manohra dance shows advantages, which are charming, conservation, and good for health, it can be suggested to use the Manohra dance posture in a training program to improve postural balance and flexibility in children.