QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF A SEQUENCE OF “ALLEGRO” IN CLASSICAL BALLET DANCERS WITH DIFFERENT TECHNICAL LEVEL

Abstract

Since training of professional classical ballet dancers is primarily focused on the aesthetic component of performance there is a necessity to assess its qualitative aspects. This study aimed to investigate whether the Performance Competence Evaluation Measure (PCEM) adapted version for classical ballet can be a valid and useful tool: 1) to assess the performance of an “Allegro” sequence; 2) to discriminate between different levels of dancers’ experience. Twenty-four female classical ballet dancers divided in two subgroups [Ballet students (n = 12) and Pre-professional dancers (n = 12)] were recruited to perform a 70 seconds sequence of “Allegro” specifically choreographed. Each performance was assessed by three very experienced judges, which scores were based on a Likert scale (ranging from 1 to 5) to evaluate the following four parameters: 1) Full Body Involvement (FBI); 2) Body Integration and Connectedness (BIC); 3) Articulation of Body Segments (ABS); 4) Movement Skills (MS). The inter-rater reliability values were ranging from good (between 0.6 and 0.8) and very good (over 0.8) for all parameters, while the test-retest reliability showed a very good agreement for all parameters. The Allegro is a dance sequence with greater dynamism that better highlights differences of execution between dancers with different technical levels and the Mann-Whitney test showed significant differences for all parameters (P=0.001) with lower values for the ballet students. In conclusion, the PCEM adapted version for classical ballet showed to be a valid tool: 1) to assess the performance of Allegro; 2) to discriminate between different dancers’ level of experience.