Balance comparison between female Bharathnatyam dancers and active non-dancers: A pilot study

Abstract

Dance is considered as a sport due to its movement related skills and motor skills. Dance being a special expression of human beings motor behaviour, during dance individuals have the opportunities to execute several movements which amount to exercise. Studies suggest that Bharathnatyam dancers have better balance because they use a lot of movements in different stances. Hence the objective of this study was to compare the balance between Bharathnatyam dancers and active non- dancers. A pilot study was conducted on 20 female Bharathnatyam dancers and 20 age matched female non- dancers between 18 to 35years of age. Static balance was assessed using Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), and dynamic balance was assessed using Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Static and dynamic balance scores of two groups were compared using independent sample t test; it was found that the difference in p value for BESS and SEBT scores between the groups were less than 0.00, indicating a significant difference in balance between the groups. The study concluded that female Bharathnatyam dancers possess better balance abilities as compared to age matched active non-dancers. Further studies can assess whether these balance abilities transfer to daily life activities.