Sauté External Rotation in Beginner and Advanced Ballet Dancers Trained in Different Backgrounds The Turnout Paradigm

Abstract

This study compared lower limb external rotation kinematic patterns during sautés in first position in beginners and experienced ballet dancers with various training backgrounds. The ability to attain a perfect turnout is traditionally thought to be a fundamental aspect of classical ballet, and turnout is identified in the literature as one of the leading causes of dance-related injuries and technical limitations among dancers. Twenty-eight ballet dancers of different technical levels and methods (three groups) were assessed. Coefficients of variation (CV), range of motion (ROM), and mean external rotation angles of hip, knee, and ankle in first position sauté were calculated. Differences among groups were tested with ANOVAs (Tukey's post hoc; p < 0.05). The hip mean external rotation values found during the jump were different between both experienced groups from different training backgrounds (p = 0.02). The inexperienced group presented a significantly greater hip external rotation CV compared to the experienced groups (p < 0.001). There were no differences between groups for values of external rotation at the knee and ankle. It is concluded that higher technical level dancers produce lower variability of hip external rotation while performing sauté in first position. Ballet training background also seems to influence the hip external rotation pattern. Moreover, the knee contributes decisively to turnout composition, not only the hip, as expected.

Comparison of the movement behaviour of experienced and novice performers during the Cat exercise

“…It may reflect a better balance of the body in quadrupedal position in experienced dancers, resulting in more variable choices of movements. Opposite variability results for hip external rotation were observed for Sauté in first position, with a greater variability in inexperienced dancer groups in this case [ 16 ]. This difference may be explained by the highly choreographed component of the Sauté that is a ballet figure.…”

“…The selected parameters are listed in Table 1 . Both magnitude (average values) and variability (coefficients of variation, CV) were calculated from all samples of a given participant, as proposed by [ 16 ] for assessing lower limb joint kinematic differences in several dancer groups. CV is computed as standard deviation/average.…”

“…However, first, an effective communication between the performer and the observer watching is required and linked to kinematic variability of dance movements that modulates the aesthetic appreciation of the observer [ 15 ]. Second, a relationship between kinematic variability of dance movements and experience also exists; the expert is thought to have less joint variability than novices [ 16 ]. Third, the existence of a model of an optimal amount of human movement variability has been proposed in [ 17 ] and could reflect the adaptability of the neuro-musculoskeletal system during a motor task.…”

Applications of Biomechanical Foot Models to Evaluate Dance Movements Using Three-Dimensional Motion Capture: A Review of the Literature

“…Post-fatigue: sig dec ankle PF and greater ant shear and compressive ankle forces foot during movement 58 and decreases risk of measurement error than a single-segment model that assumes the foot and ankle as a rigid body. 63 Fifteen of the 25 studies utilized single-segment foot models, 7,25,26,[39][40][41][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81] four studies applied a two-segment foot model, 37,48,49,82 and six studies incorporated a multi-segment foot model. 5,11,28,29,35,83 Three studies did not report the specific number of foot segments and only reported one set of data for the foot and ankle.…”

“…Fifteen of these 24 studies were descriptive designs that primarily aimed to investigate, compare or describe variables of interest observed in static postures or during dance-specific movements. 7,37,[39][40][41]48,73,74,[76][77][78][79][80]82,83 Six of the studies were single-factor, repeated measure designs that evaluated one variable at different levels (e.g., types of footwear, inclination or slope of the floor, or dance movements). 11,25,26,28,29,48 Three studies were exploratory designs that aimed to determine relationships between variables 72 assessed during dance-specific movements.…”