Functional performance tests in male and female professional dancers from four classical ballet companies - a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Functional performance test (FPT) results have rarely been analysed for sex-specific differences among professional ballet dancers yet. Therefore, this study aims to assess the FPT results of professional female and male ballet dancers, analyse sex-specific differences, describe the number of dancers meeting predefined thresholds, and present the prevalence of lower limb asymmetries in selected FPTs.

METHODS: Professional ballet companies in Germany were invited to participate in this study via word-of-mouth. An extensive health & performance screening was provided to the voluntarily participating dancers, which included eight FPTs. Solely dancers on sick leave were excluded. The selected FPTs focused on stability (balance error scoring system (BESS)), muscular endurance & strength (heel-rise test, Bunkie test, and closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability test (CKCUEST)), and hop performance (vertical-hop test, figure-of-eight-hop test, side-hop test, and speedy jump test). Differences in the FPT results between sexes, limb asymmetries in the FPTs (determined by the Limb Symmetry Index (LSI)), and the number of dancers achieving predefined thresholds were analysed with independent-samples t-test, and Chi²-tests, respectively.

RESULTS: Data from 115 dancers from four classical ballet companies were included in the analysis. The FPT results differed between sexes: while female dancers performed better than male dancers in the heel-rise test (p = .019), males excelled in the CKCUEST (p<.001), Bunkie Copenhagen plank (p = .004), vertical-hop test (p<.001), figure-of-eight-hop test (p<.001), and side-hop test (p<.001). Lower limb asymmetries greater than 15% were most prevalent in the vertical-hop test (30%) and the side-hop test (24%), and least prevalent in the figure-of-eight-hop test (1%).

CONCLUSION: This is the first study that analysed sex-specific differences in FPT results of professional ballet dancers from multiple companies. It contributes to the broader understanding of the basic physical performance skills for ballet, presenting the current training status of dancers from four professional ballet companies. The majority of muscular endurance & strength tests and hop performance tests revealed significant differences between male and female dancers, with many dancers showing notable limb asymmetries. Overall, the results demonstrated a lower performance level compared to athletes in other sports.