The role of puberty in the making and breaking of young ballet dancers: Perspectives of dance teachers

Abstract

Physical changes associated with puberty may conflict with functional and aesthetic ideals for a career in ballet. The dance teacher is in a position to guide young dancers through the pubertal transition, although dancers rather than teachers are often the focus of research. This study explores the social stimulus value of the female body in ballet as perceived by the dance teacher and how value may change during puberty. Ten UK dance teachers were interviewed; interpretative phenomenological analysis was used. Four main themes perceived by dance teachers emerged as central to the social stimulus value of the body among adolescent dancers: the ideal body; teacher approaches to managing puberty in the dance environment; puberty as a 'make or break' stage in ballet; and teacher awareness of pubertal onset and the implications of timing. Dance teachers can play an important role in moderating external and individual expectations during the pubertal transition.

Bio-banding in Sport: Applications to Competition, Talent Identification, and Strength and Conditioning of Youth Athletes

“…Such strategies may be particularly beneficial for the early maturing athlete who may experience a more intense growth spurt, and the late maturing athlete who experiences his/her growth spurt at an age when the demands of training and competition are typically greater and in turn may enhance the risk of injury (88). Consistent with this hypothesis, ballet instructors argue that early maturation is favourable for dancers in that it 'got the growing out of the way' at an age when training demands were lower and prior to important phases of evaluation and selection (69). On a similar basis, delayed maturation in female gymnasts has been identified as a potential risk factor for chronic spine injuries as a result of prolonged exposure of the growth plates to unfavourable mechanical factors, such as repetitive pressures, micro trauma and impacts (83,91).…”

“…who direct specific sports programs. The body and functional characteristics hold significant social stimulus value for those involved in the identification and development of youth athletes (25,69). More to the point, youth with the physical and functional attributes deemed most appropriate for success in a given sport are more likely to be encouraged and rewarded for their participation, obtain more playing time and opportunity to play important positions (i.e., captain), and receive greater access to specialised coaching and training resources (19).…”

Are relative age and biological ages associated with coaches’ evaluations of match performance in male academy soccer players?

“…4,37,[42][43][44][45] Additionally, in the older age groups, players advanced in maturity have overcome growth-related challenges, have acquired the maturity-associated advantages and as some researchers and coaches suggest, got "their growing out of the way". 46 The findings of this study have practical implications for those working within youth soccer academies. When identifying, selecting and/or evaluating players; awareness and consideration of differences in biological maturity is important.…”

The organisational stressors encountered by athletes with a disability

“…Notwithstanding this evolution, the current results suggest that there is a significant need for the IPC, disability sport governing bodies, and sport psychologists to work with athletes with a disability to better understand and address the demands that current classification processes can place on performers. Since the classification system shares some similarities to processes designed to group athletes by weight (e.g., boxing) or physical maturity (e.g., bio-banding; Mitchell, Haase, Malina, & Cumming, 2016), organizations and practitioners operating within such sports and systems should also remain aware of the potential demands that can accompany these practices.…”