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The aims of this study were to determine possible differences between the sexes in specific rhythmic gymnastics techniques, and to examine the influence of various aspects of technique on rhythmic composition performance. Seventy-five students aged 21 ± 2 years (45 males, 30 female) undertook four test sessions to determine: coefficients of asymmetry, stability, versatility, and the two rhythmic compositions (without apparatus and with rope). An independent-sample t-test revealed sex-based differences in technique acquisition: stability for ball (P < 0.05; effect size = 0.65) and club (P < 0.05; effect size = 0.79) performance and rhythmic composition without apparatus (P < 0.05; effect size = 0.66). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the variables for assessing stability (beta = 0.44; P < 0.05) and versatility (beta = 0.61; P < 0.05) explained 61% of the variance in the rhythmic composition performance of females, and the variables for assessing asymmetry (beta = -0.38; P < 0.05), versatility (beta = 0.32; P < 0.05), and stability (beta = 0.29; P < 0.05) explained 52% of the variance in the rhythmic composition performance of males. The results suggest that female students dominate in body skill technique, while male students have the advantage with apparatus. There was a lack of an expressive aesthetic component in performance for males. The need for ambidexterity should be considered in the planning of training programmes.

Lower back pain is propounding health problem in male dancers and increases with age that cannot be resolved by decreasing training intensity. This research reveals that only 28% of male dancers will seek medical help because of occurrence of musculoskeletal pain. Multidisciplinary approach with the aim of long-term health protection and prolongation of dancing careers is required in future studies.

The Self-Estimated Functional Inability because of Pain (SEFIP) questionnaire is a simple tool used to define the pain status in different body regions of performers in aesthetic sports. In this study we revalidated the SEFIP in a sample of nonprofessional female university dancers (n = 45; mean age, 22.3 yrs). The dancers were divided into two groups according to their previous experience in dance and aesthetic-based sports: experienced (n = 24) and nonexperienced (n = 21). SEFIP was measured before and after the 6-week dance and aesthetic-based training program. Morphologic variables were measured at study entry and included body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), calf circumference, sum of two skinfolds, and percent body fat. We analyzed 1) the differences between experienced and nonexperienced dancers in all variables, 2) pre- and post-training differences in SEFIP, 3) pre- and post-training differences in pain sensation for each body region, and 4) the prediction of the SEFIP score from morphologic variables in the experienced and nonexperienced subjects. Statistical analysis using the t-test found no significant differences between the groups but identified significant pre- vs. post-training differences in SEFIP in the sample taken as a whole. The nonparametric sign test showed a significant pre- to post-training decrease in pain sensation in the calf region. Multiple regression analysis revealed BMI as a significant predictor of the SEFIP, but only for the nonexperienced dancers. In order to avoid pain occurrence in university dancers, previous training of the calf, thigh, and back muscles is suggested, especially in those subjects with BMI > 21 kg/m2.

Dancers primarily experience pain in the lower back, ankles or feet, neck, and knees.The occurrence of knee pain is age-progressive and frequent (54.9%).Durdica Miletic is a professor with the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Split, Croatia, and a main researcher for a scientific project of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (motor-knowledge estimation in kinesiology).Alen Miletic is a dance lecturer with the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Split, Croatia.Ivana Kujundzic Lujan is a doctoral student and senior dance instructor at the University of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.Ana Kezic is an assistant professor of rhythmic gymnastics and aesthetic movements with the Faculty