Unipodal Performance and Leg Muscle Mass in Jumping Skills among Ballet Dancers

Abstract

We examined the vertical jump performance of each leg among 10 right-footed female ballet dancers with 1 yr. of international professional experience ( quadrilles: Opera ballerinas). Their mean age was 17.5 yr. ( SD = 03). The maximal height of the unilateral jump was recorded, and muscle mass was evaluated by biphotonic absorptiometry method. Muscle mass and maximal jump height were similar for the two legs. A strong inverse relation was found between the muscle mass of the right leg (67%) and maximal jump height ( r = −.81, p < .01) but not for the left leg. These results highlight a functional asymmetry and the effect of motor laterality in dance.