Influence of Stance Configuration on Postural Control While Performing Ballet Turns (Pirouette) in Novices and Experienced Dancers.

Objective: Pirouettes are often first taught from the "fourth position," which is a preparatory distance generally close to 100% of the dancer's foot length. However, the optimal preparation distance has not yet been studied. This study investigated the impact of stance configurations (preparatory distances) on postural control in ballet turns (pirouettes) between both experienced and novice dancers.

Methods: Thirteen experienced and 13 novice ballet dancers were recruited for this study. They performed one-revolution ballet turns at different preparatory distances (PD), including 50%, 100%, and 150% of foot length and self-selected distance (PDss). The instantaneous rotation axis of the torso was calculated using the weighted least squares method by torso landmarks. The average angles of inclination of the instantaneous rotation axis in relation to the vertical axis during the early single-leg support phase were determined. A smaller inclination angle of the rotation axis indicated a reduced postural sway. Foot displacement throughout the task was defined as the distance between the starting and ending positions of the foot on the supporting leg. A shorter foot displacement indicated greater stability of the supporting leg during the pirouette.

Results: A significant main effect of PD was observed in the average inclination angle of the rotation axis in the experienced dancers (p=0.006), with a smaller angle in PDss than PD50% (p<0.001). In the novice group, a significant main effect of PD was found in the foot displacement (p=0.003), with a smaller foot displacement in PD50% than in PD150% (p=0.006).

Conclusions: Experienced dancers performed better when using a self-selected preparatory distance in the pirouette, whereas novice dancers demonstrated better performance when utilizing a PD equal to 0.5 times the length of their foot compared to other distances.