The Physical Attributes Most Required in Professional Ballet: A Delphi Study

This research, conducted by the Institute of Sports Exercise and Health of the University College of London, carried out the Delphi technique (presenting a questionnaire to a group of pre-selected and informed people or experts to obtain their opinion on a given subject) to obtain the most required physical characteristics for classical ballet, grouped and classified in order of importance.

148 participants completed the questionnaire. Most of the respondents were physical therapists and ballet teachers (46 and 44, respectively). Although 6 continents were represented, the majority of respondents were from Western Europe and North America (82 and 34, respectively). The 148 participants listed 34 attributes in total, the most frequent being: overall flexibility, overall strength, turnout, body proportions, and foot and ankle flexibility.

Overall flexibility was the attribute most frequently recommended by the expert group. The demands of ballet technique require that dancers have a greater than normal range of motion in the hip, spine, foot and ankle.

The second most frequently mentioned attribute was general strength. Jumps in ballet require high muscle torque, as well as the balance and postural control necessary to achieve highly complex movements such as pirouettes.

Turnout was the third most frequently listed attribute, defined as the sum of the external rotations of the lower extremities. Sufficient external hip rotation in ballet dancers facilitates control of the lower limb and is believed to reduce the risk of injury.

These attributes will form the basis for further rounds of the Delphi Survey in order to arrive at a consensus. It is hoped this might help guide those who train and those who care for dancers both in performance enhancement and injury risk management.

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