Characteristics of Standing Posture in Preschool Children with Turnout in Classical Ballet: A Comparison with Skilled Adult Ballet Dancers

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of standing posture with turnout in children. [Participants and Methods] Ten female preschool children and thirteen skilled female adult ballet dancers participated in the study. The standing postures in the parallel and the turnout in the sagittal plane were photographed, and the posture angle, ear-neck angle, and horizontal distance from the vertical line to the anatomical measurement point were measured. [Results] Compared to dancers, children showed larger posture angles and forward movement of the torso in the turnout position. [Conclusion] In the turnout position, the children exhibited postural forward tilt and large forward movement of the torso region, which was different from the adult dancers who showed a decrease in postural forward tilt angle and cervical extension. The results suggest that preschool children have difficulty in achieving a vertical posture due to weak muscle strength in the trunk and lower limbs.