According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, classical dance as it is practiced among the children wouldn’t be so physical.
Conducted on 264 girls aged 5 to 18, the study reveals that in the end, a one-hour ballet class only includes about a quarter of an hour of moderate to intense physical activity. The rest of the time would be spent stretching and listening to music, a less active time for young girls.
In all, 66 different dances were screened by researchers at the University of San Diego (United States), using accelerometers recording the movements of the participants. In the end, scientists found that girls aged 5 to 11 were more active than those aged 15 to 18. However, everything depends on the dance practiced.
“For example, hip-hop is one of the most intense activities, for children and adolescents alike, while flamenco was the less physical dance for both groups”, underlines Kelli Cain, co-author of the study. Among children, hip-hop accounted for 57% of lesson time reserved for moderate to intense physical activity, compared to 14% of the lesson for flamenco.
In the end, “the study showed that 8% of children and 6% of adolescents reach the 30 minutes daily ofphysical activity recommended after school, ”says James Sallis, one of the study’s authors.
“While dance represents important social, developmental, cultural and artistic benefits that must be maintained and strengthened, it should also be possible to increase physical activity”, advises James Sallis, recalling that “nothing improves as much physical and mental health of young people than physical activity ”.
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