BIOMECHANICAL APPROACH TO BALLET MOVEMENTS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

Movements in ballet dance often involve extreme joint positions and muscular efforts that may exceed normal ranges of motion and generate high stresses on bone and soft tissues. The primary aim of this study was to apply the principles and techniques of biomechanics to study ballet movements. Ground reaction forces and plantar pressure distribution were registered with a Kistler Platform and a Tekscan Systems respectively. Knee joint action in the sagittal plane was simultaneously collected with an electrogoniometer. Peak vertical forces, peak pressures and knee flexion-extension were analyzed and discussed. A better understanding of these biomechanical aspects may lead to a decrease of the injury risks and also to more graceful and efficient dance movements.