Balance in Bharatanatyam dancers and non-dancers: A comparative study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Bharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance form that traces its roots to the 2nd century and is still one of the most popular and widely practised dance forms in India. It uses a lot of movements in different stances with superimposed limb movements. There may seem to be a logical link between balance and the practice of Bharatanatyam, but the paucity of research on this topic, especially concerned with Indian classical dance, thus prompted us to conduct the research to assess and have an objective measurement of comparison of balance between Bharatanatyam dancers and age- & gender- matched non-dancers. Materials and Methods: A sample size of 50 Bharatanatyam dancers and 50 age and gender-matched non-dancers were assessed on the Neuro-Com Balance system for 3 parameters- weight-bearing (at 0, 30, 60 and 90 degrees of knee flexion), unilateral stance and Limits of Stability. Results and Conclusion: Bharatanatyam dancers showed decreased sway velocity in unilateral stance compared to non-dancers. They also had quicker reaction times, higher movement velocity, better end-point and maximum excursion as well as higher directional control (in the Limits of Stability test) compared to the non-dancers. The acquired results prove that trained Bharatanatyam dancers have better balance than age- and gender-matched non-dancers.