Muscles Used In Ballet – Post #4
Maleah P -
Since dance classes were canceled last week due to spring break, I decided to do some online research about different muscles used in ballet. So far, I have been focusing on lots of faster-paced dance styles and I want to see if there’s a difference in muscle usage between slower and faster forms of dance. Based on my hypothesis, I had stated that I predict slower dance styles like ballet will use the lower leg muscles and muscles in the feet.
As I looked up information about ballet dance, I found some common ballet moves which include pliés, pirouettes, and sautés. Each of these moves uses a significant amount of muscles for balance and control.
Pirouettes use core muscles like the transverse abdominis and Obliques. They also involve using leg muscles including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, ankle plantar flexors, hip rotators and flexors, and glutes along with the latissimus dorsi across the upper back.
Sautés use more of the upper body muscles in the shoulder and back. They require dancers to use their deltoids, biceps, and triceps in their arms as well as the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids, and the trapezius back muscle. The core muscles including the rectus abdominis and obliques are also activated.
Pliés involve using more lower body muscles like the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calve muscles, namely the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Dancers also use their core when trying to plié.
Contrary to my hypothesis, I have found while researching ballet that the ballet techniques involve most if not all of the body. Ballerinas actually primarily use more of their upper body with their core and arms then their lower leg muscles. While my observations of faster-paced dance styles have supported the idea of using more lower body and leg muscles for their styles, ballet contradicts my initial thoughts of using more leg muscles in slower dance styles.