Biomechanical analysis of balance and spotting in multiple rotations of ballet dancers

Spotting is a dance-specific head coordination in which dancers fixate their heads to the front while turning. An experimental study in which dancers performed continuous revolutions aimed to analyze parameters of the spotting technique, balance, and dizziness. To this end, motion capture and EOG measures of eight professional dancers were taken. From the final trial wherein dancers were instructed to perform as many continuous revolutions as possible, the final 20 revolutions were analyzed. As a measure of balance, the topple angle was relatively constant throughout all rotations at an average of 4.3°. While dancers maintained balance, the area covered by the center of mass on the transverse plane as well as the head fixation duration increased over consecutive revolutions. This suggests dancers employ adaptive mechanisms to sustain rotatory performance.