(in German)

Background: In professional dance, a low body weight is of elementary importance. Therefore, there is already a high prevalence of underweight among female dance students. To date, it is unclear whether systematic associations exist between weight and other characteristics relevant to eligibility for training in professional dance. Therefore, the aim was to investigate selected relevant eligibility criteria (body weight, hormonal status, hip external rotation, rearfoot axis, current and previous injuries with missed training and mobility) considering weight status and age in female dance students (TS) aged between 5-19 years.

Methods: The basis was the evaluation of examination findings from check-up examinations (n = 391) of a German ballet education institution over a period of 20 years (1997-2017). The analysis was performed with SPSS 22 using mean and standard deviation and to test for differences using Fisher’s test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. All variables were compared within the previously defined age groups.

Results: Low body mass index (BMI) is largely independent of the other relevant eligibility criteria. Significant differences between weight status and other relevant characteristics between normal weight and underweight female dance students were only found for left hip external rotation in 11-13-year-olds and for rearfoot axis in 8-10-year-olds and 17-19-year-olds.

Conclusion: Underweight and normal weights hardly differ with respect to further criteria in their suitability for classical dance. Body weight should be considered largely independent of the other parameters. As underweight can often be combined with a deficit in energy availability, the focus here should be on ensuring that children and adolescents remain healthy in the long term. Consideration must be given to the various causes of underweight, existing comorbidities, and the special needs of this population.

This article is published in the Journal "Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie" (2023).

Please download the article "Musculoskeletal characteristics in underweight and normal weight classical dance students" (in German only).