A Preseason Cardiorespiratory Profile of Dancers in Nine Professional Ballet and Modern Companies

Abstract

While studies have investigated the physical demands of dance in terms of cardiorespiratory fitness, there are no recent comparisons of cardiorespiratory response to exercise among professional dancers of different genres. Our purpose was to: 1. develop a cardiorespiratory profile of professional dancers; 2. investigate differences in peak and recovery heart rate (HR) between professional modern and ballet dancers using an accelerated 3-minute step test; 3. demonstrate the relationship between cardiorespiratory variables; and 4. investigate the effects of company and work variables on the dancers' cardiorespiratory profiles. We hypothesized greater cardiorespiratory fitness in modern dancers than in ballet dancers, due to the nature of their repertory. Furthermore, we hypothesized that company profiles would reflect differences in work variables. Two hundred and eleven dancers (mean age 24.6 ± 4.7) from nine companies (two modern and seven ballet) performed a 3-minute step test. Demographics, height, mass, blood pressure (BP), smoking history, and resting peak and recovery HR were recorded. Body mass index (BMI) and fitness category were calculated. Independent t-tests were used to compare differences in demographics and cardiorespiratory variables due to genre, MANOVA were conducted to compare differences due to company, and correlations were calculated to determine the relationships between cardiorespiratory variables (p < 0.05). Modern dancers demonstrated higher mass and BMI, lower BP, lower resting HR and HR recovery, and a higher percentage were categorized as "fit" compared to ballet dancers (p < 0.03). There were differences between companies in age, experience, BMI, BP, resting, peak, and recovery HR, and fitness category (p < 0.001). The differences in cardiorespiratory fitness levels that may be related to rigor of repertory, rehearsal and performance seasons, or off-season exercise training are discussed. Results support the need for comprehensive physical fitness screening to identify dancers who could benefit from aerobic conditioning to enhance overall performance preparedness and to minimize fatigue effects.

A Comparative Analysis of the Fitness of Collegiate Dancers as compared to Collegiate Volleyball and Softball Players

“…Previous studies had shown disparities in aerobic gains between styles of dance, so this study tested dancers who are trained in a variety of styles. 1,2,5 The mean estimated VO 2max of the dancers was higher than that of the athletes but the set of dancers had nearly three times the variance, which may reflect the wide variability in aerobic nature between different styles of dance. The mean estimated VO 2max of both dancers and traditional athletes was in the 70 th percentile for women as determined by the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study .…”

“…Studies that tested the aerobic fitness of professional contemporary and modern dancers compared to that of professional ballet dancers showed the contemporary and modern dancers to have higher maximal oxygen uptake, lower blood pressure, resting heart rates, and peak heart rate than ballet dancers. 2,5 The researchers hypothesized that the difference between genres is largely due to the tendency for modern dance numbers to be lengthier than ballet numbers, as well as to the decreased stigma against cross-training for modern dancers in comparison to ballet dancers. 5,6 Other studies examined muscular strength differences between dancers of different genres.…”

“…2,5 The researchers hypothesized that the difference between genres is largely due to the tendency for modern dance numbers to be lengthier than ballet numbers, as well as to the decreased stigma against cross-training for modern dancers in comparison to ballet dancers. 5,6 Other studies examined muscular strength differences between dancers of different genres. Ballet dancers did not show muscular strength significantly above average fit individuals, but modern dancers had muscular strength similar to that of other traditional athletes.…”

“…8,9 This may be related to the common practice of dancers to avoid cross-training for fear that cross-training would limit dance ability. 5,8 This lack of comprehensive exercise prompted some professional dancers to have similar results on certain fitness components to sedentary individuals. With proper cross-training, not only did overall fitness of the participating dancers improve, but also the number of injuries was reduced.…”

Blood biomarker profiling in the professional dancer: considerations and recommendations

“…Professional dancers typically undergo high training loads and performance schedules that result in elevated physiological, biomechanical, and psychological stress [1,2]. In a typical 'work' day, reported rest periods are short and infrequent, and dancers may often dance for 40 hours per week through a combination of dance class, rehearsal, and performance [3,4]. Furthermore, rest-stress states in professional ballet dancers are akin to those observed in swimmers and footballers [5].…”