Physiological Comparison between Female University Ballet and Modern Dance Students

Abstract

Generally, dance is an activity in which performers desire lower body weights in order to increase their ability to perform or to enhance their aesthetic appeal. Modern, or contemporary dance, requires far more movement of the upper body and more floor work than ballet. Since both forms of dance have apparent differences in training regimes, it was thought that there might be differences in some physiological factors that might ultimately influence the overall health of these athletes. Therefore, this study compared the aerobic capacity, body composition, and bone mineral density of female university ballet and modern dancers. Seventeen university dance students volunteered to participate in the study, ten ballet dancers, and seven modern dancers. Maximal aerobic capacity was assessed on a treadmill using the Bruce protocol, while total and regional body composition and bone mineral densities (total, hip, and spine) were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA, Lunar DPX-IQ). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of dancers for any of the measured physiological parameters. The VO2max of the ballet dancers was 40.8 ±1.6 ml·kg-1·min-1 compared to the modern dancers 39.2 ±1.9 ml·kg-1·min-1. Total body fat of the ballet dancers was 19.8 ± 1.5% while the modern dancers were measured at 19.3 ± 1.4%. The bone mineral density for the total body, total hip, and L2-L4 of the spine for the ballet dancers was 1.165 ± 0.002 g/cm2, 1.082 ± 0.004 g/cm2, and 1.183 ± 0.004 g/cm2, respectively, while the modern dancers were measured at 1.170 ± 0.002 g/cm2, 1.107 ± 0.003 g/cm2, and 1.231 ± 0.004 g/cm2, respectively. These finding suggest that no differences exist between the physiological profiles of university modern and ballet dancers. Even though the dancers had lower percentages of body fat than the average female university student, the dancers were not low enough to be considered at increased risk for any major health problems. Also, the dancers low body weights and lower percentages of body fat did not seem to affect bone mineral densities, since both groups of dancers had values that were about 10% better than age-matched normal subjects. Finally, although both groups perform rigorous training regimens, their aerobic capacities were lower than other elite female athletes but higher than the average published norms for this age group.