Final Post (Blog Summary) – Post #8
Maleah P -
Every dance style is very unique, and one of the main differences between each style is the muscles they incorporate when performing. Throughout my research, I have been looking for differences in which muscles are used frequently in each form of dance. From musical theater, tap, and jazz to ballet and lyrical, each style uses music and movement to tell a story. Dance is a great way for people to express themselves through a song, and now that I have gathered all my research, I am going to look for a conclusion.
At the beginning of my project, I hypothesized that the Tap and Ballet styles would use more of the lower leg and foot muscles while Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Musical Theater use more of the core and upper leg strength muscles. As I progressed through my project, my hypothesis was slightly revised while I gained information.
Based on my observations, I found that jazz and musical theater both exercise similar muscle groups, while ballet and lyrical/modern have comparable movements. Tap, however, seems to have a different style from the rest altogether.
Jazz and musical theater both largely engage the core and overall leg muscles. They use muscles such as the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves. Dancers in these styles of dance also include their arm and shoulder muscles, although rarely, using muscles such as the biceps, triceps, and trapezius.
Ballet and lyrical/modern are slightly different from jazz and musical theater in that they include almost every muscle in the body, not just the core and legs. They also include back muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids.
Tap, in a league of its own, uses primarily feet and lower leg muscles. Tap dancers engage muscles like the tibialis anterior and fibularis tertius. They also use their gastrocnemius and soleus.
Overall, jazz and musical theater require strong core and leg muscles; ballet and lyrical/modern also need strong upper body muscles; finally, tap requires mainly leg and foot muscles but still includes the core for balance.
My observations support part of my initial hypothesis that jazz and musical theater focus on the core and leg muscles, but it was refuted in that ballet and lyrical/modern use almost all of the body’s muscles, not just the lower leg and foot muscles. Knowing this information is valuable for dancers because it allows them to know which muscles they should focus on and strengthen more based on their chosen style.