title: 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=0.3). 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.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Cognition et Motricité, Unité Fonctionnelle de Recherche en Sciences et Technique des Activités Physiques et Sportives, Université Pans René Descartes, France. golomer@ccr.jussieu.fr
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Golomer
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Yves-André
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Féry
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Testa
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D001154:Art; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*