Abstract
PURPOSE: Over 1.3 million young people danced for competitive teams in the US between 1980 and 2024. The routines performed involve repetitive unilateral movements that may contribute to asymmetrical lower-extremity (LE) loading, although the extent of these asymmetries and their relationship to dynamic balance remain unclear. We hypothesized that 1. Asymmetry of weightbearing (WB) is a generalized feature of competitive jazz and pom routines nationwide, with most of the weight bearing is on the left. 2. This asymmetry is reliably observable via electronic video; and 3. This asymmetry is associated with better dynamic balance on dancers’ left LE compared to the right. METHODS: Trained raters recorded unilateral weightbearing time on the left LE compared to the right, during videos of two-minute routines of competitive dance teams. Twenty-nine total videos of dance and pom routines featuring collegiate and scholastic teams recorded at national dance competitions were analyzed. The observation included all members of the team, who most frequently were doing the same movements during the routine. When the movements between dancers diverged, dancers performing unilateral weightbearing were recorded. Interrater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Unilateral weightbearing times for jazz and pom routine were compared using two-tailed paired t-tests. To assess dynamic balance, 21 collegiate dancers (4 men, 17 women from the same team who did equivalent practice and training as team members) completed the Y-Balance Test. Limb-length-normalized composite scores were compared using a two-tailed paired t-test. RESULTS: Interrater reliability in observation of left vs. right weightbearing was good (ICC = 0.876). Unilateral weightbearing time was 23.27 ± 4.82 left vs 4.45 ± 6.66 seconds right for jazz and 25.45 ± 5.13 versus 6.55 ± 4.11 seconds for pom (both p < 0.001). Y- Balance scores did not differ significantly between limbs, 107.09 ± 6.9 cm for the left, 107.3 ± 7.0 cm, p = 0.363. CONCLUSION: The collegiate jazz and pom routines analyzed showed greater left-leg unilateral weightbearing, but no significant between-limb difference in dynamic balance was detected. Contrary to our third hypothesis, these findings do not establish an effect of asymmetric loading on balance.
Recommended Citation
Moreno, Aria; Hackney, James M.; and Mikulis, Emmalee
(2026)
"Competitive Dance Asymmetry in Weight Bearing and Lower Extremity Control,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15:
Iss.
9, Article 8.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss9/8