How many people dance in the us


Number Of Dancers In The US

Research Summary. Using a database of 30 million profiles, Zippia estimates demographics and statistics for dancers in the United States. Our estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • There are over 7,348 dancers currently employed in the United States.
  • 73.4% of all dancers are women, while 26.6% are men.
  • The average age of an employed dancer is 28 years old.
  • The most common ethnicity of dancers is White (49.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (24.2%), Black or African American (12.5%) and Asian (7.3%).
  • In 2021, women earned 99% of what men earned.
  • 22% of all dancers are LGBT.
  • Dancers are 55% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.

Dancer Statistics By Gender

73. 4% of dancers are women and 26.6% of dancers are men.

  • Female, 73.4%
  • Male, 26.6%

Dancers By Gender

Gender  Percentages  
Female73.4%
Male26.6%

Gender Pay Gap For Dancer

Women Earn 99¢ For Every $1 Earned By Men

Male Income

$70,820

Female Income

$69,835

Dancer Gender Over Time

This data shows how men and women predominate in the dancer position over time.

Female

Dancer Gender By Year

Year  Male  Female  
201016.79%83.21%
201114.08%85.92%
201220.39%79.61%
201312.23%87.77%
201414.62%85.38%
201512. 42%87.58%
201620.48%79.52%
201719.89%80.11%
201819.33%80.67%
201929.47%70.53%

Dancer Male to Female Ratio

We compared this job title with other job titles to see how gender percentages varied. As you can see, 19d cavalry scout and baseball player have the biggest difference in gender.

Job TitleMaleFemale
Harpist8%92%
Actress8%92%
Modern Dancer8%92%
Dancer27%73%
Assistant Varsity Football Coach98%2%
Baseball Player98%2%
19D Cavalry Scout99%1%

19D Cavalry Scout

Baseball Player

Assistant Varsity Football Coach

Dancer

Modern Dancer

Actress

Harpist

Dancer Statistics By Race

The most common ethnicity among dancers is White, which makes up 49. 8% of all dancers. Comparatively, there are 24.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 12.5% of the Black or African American ethnicity.

  • White, 49.8%
  • Hispanic or Latino, 24.2%
  • Black or African American, 12.5%
  • Asian, 7.3%
  • Unknown, 5.5%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%

Dancer Race

Dancer Race  Percentages  
White49.8%
Hispanic or Latino24.2%
Black or African American12.5%
Asian7.3%
Unknown5.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.7%

Dancer Race And Ethnicity Over Time

Using the Census Bureau data, we found out how the percentage of each ethnic category trended between 2010-2019 among dancers.

  • White
  • Asian
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Black or African American

Dancer Race By Year

Year  White  Black or African American  Asian  Hispanic or Latino  
201058. 55%10.23%8.30%16.50%
201155.99%8.26%6.35%22.60%
201251.52%17.82%6.85%17.80%
201360.25%8.22%6.11%18.02%
201458.97%14.82%4.50%16.73%
201565.83%4.27%5.50%15.85%
201648.55%14.24%7.72%20.47%
201754.54%6.81%5.57%22.25%
201856.76%7.50%9.35%20.53%
201949.79%12.54%7.32%24.18%

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Dancer Age Breakdown

This chart breaks down the ages of dancer employees. Interestingly enough, the average age of dancers is 20-30 years old, which represents 61% of the population.

40+ years

30-40 years

20-30 years

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Dancer Age

Dancer Years  Percentages  
40+ years7%
30-40 years31%
20-30 years61%

Types of Dancer Degree Levels

The most common degree for dancers is bachelor's degree 70% of dancers earn that degree. A close second is high school diploma with 13% and rounding it off is associate degree with 9%.

  • Bachelors, 70%
  • High School Diploma, 13%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Masters, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

Dancers By Education

Dancer Degree  Percentages  
Bachelors70%
High School Diploma13%
Associate9%
Masters4%
Other Degrees4%

Dancer Jobs You Might Like

Dancer Employment Statistics

This section highlights information about where dancers work. We found most dancers work for a private company. In addition, the industry that employs the most dancers is the media industry.

Company Size

We created this chart to show you the average size of companies that typically hire dancers.

< 50 employees

50 - 100 employees

100 - 500 employees

500 - 1,000 employees

1,000 - 10,000 employees

> 10,000

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dancer Jobs By Employer Size

Company Size  Percentages  
< 50 employees9%
50 - 100 employees9%
100 - 500 employees14%
500 - 1,000 employees8%
1,000 - 10,000 employees42%
> 10,000 employees17%

The Types Of Companies Dancer Work In

Employees with the dancer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most dancers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.

Education

Public

Private

Government

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dancer Jobs By Sector

Company Type  Percentages  
Education8%
Public33%
Private55%
Government4%

Top Industries Hiring Dancers

Just based on the number of employees within each industry, we were able to determine the most common industries that employ dancers. Those industries include media, education and retail.

Hospitality

Media

Retail

Technology

Education

Show More

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dancer Industry Statistics

Industry  Percentages  
Hospitality23%
Media16%
Retail10%
Technology10%
Education8%
Fortune 5007%
Government3%
Construction3%
Professional3%
Automotive3%
Transportation2%
Telecommunication2%
Internet2%
Utilities2%
Real Estate2%
Health Care2%
Finance2%
Agriculture2%

Dancer Turnover And Employment Statistics

Dancer Unemployment Rate Over Time

The Bureau of Labor Statistics came in clutch when it came down to figuring out how the unemployment rate has changed over time. Between 2008 and 2018, this is how the number of dancers changed.

  • Unemployment rate

Dancer Unemployment Rate By Year

Year  Dancer Unemployment Rate  
201018.65%
201120.48%
201218.60%
201319.67%
201416.28%
201511.17%
201611.39%
20175.91%
201814.52%
20195.66%

The Average Number of Years That Dancer Stay in a Job

By looking over 4,746 dancers resumes, we figured out that the average dancer enjoys staying at their job for 1-2 years for a percentage of 30%.

Less than one year

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-7 years

8-10 years

11+ years

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dancer Tenure

Number or Years  Percentages  
Less than 1 year24%
1-2 years30%
3-4 years15%
5-7 years15%
8-10 years6%
11+ years10%

Comparing The LGBT Ratio of Dancers with Other Job Titles

After finding the gender ratio, we wondered if the percentages of LGBT persons were different as well. Using the data below, you can see how other job titles compare to dancers.

Job TitleLGBTJob Openings
Diving Coach9.28%14,454
Baton Twirler11.39%12200.00%
Jockey14.59%2,211
Field Producer16.02%54,756
Orchestra Leader21.16%30,861
Dancer21.84%
Voice-Over Artist23.07%3,807

Voice-Over Artist

Dancer

Orchestra Leader

Field Producer

Jockey

Baton Twirler

Diving Coach

0%

6%

12%

17%

23%

29%

35%

Dancer LGBT Demographics

Profession  Percentages of LGBT   Job Openings  
Diving Coach9. 28%14,454
Baton Twirler11.39%122
Jockey14.59%2,211
Field Producer16.02%54,756
Orchestra Leader21.16%30,861
Voice-Over Artist23.07%3,807

Foreign Languages Spoken By Dancers

The most common foreign language among dancers is Spanish at 45.7%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 16.2% and German is the third-most popular at 4.5%.

  • Spanish, 45.7%
  • French, 16.2%
  • German, 4.5%
  • Chinese, 3.8%
  • Italian, 3.8%
  • Other, 26.0%

Dancer Languages Spoken

Foreign Language  Percentages  
Spanish45.7%
French16.2%
German4.5%
Chinese3.8%
Italian3. 8%
Other26.0%

Dancer Heatmaps

Which State Has The Most Dancers?

By looking through more than 4,746 resumes, we found that the most popular places for dancers are New York, NY and Chicago, IL.

Number of Dancers

Dancer Demographics FAQs

How Many Dancer Are There In The Us?

There are over 7,348 Dancers in the United States.

What Percentage Of Dancers Are Black?

12.5% of Dancers are Black or African American

What Race Are Most Dancers?

Most a are White, with 49.8% of Dancers belonging to this ethnicity. 24.2% of Dancers are Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% of Dancers are Black or African American, 7.3% of Dancers are Asian, 5.5% of Dancers are Unknown, and 0.7% of Dancers are American Indian and Alaska Native

Are Dancer Jobs Male - Dominated ?

No, Dancer jobs are not male - dominated. 73% of Dancers are female, and 26% are male, so there are more female Dancers than male Dancers in the United States.

How Old Is The Average Dancer ?

The average Dancer is 29 years old. 7% of Dancers are 40+ years old or older, 31% are between the ages of 30-40 years, and 61% are between 20-30 years old

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

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Dancers & choreographers | Data USA

Dancers & choreographers

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Dancers & choreographers are most often employed by the Performing arts companies industry. The average yearly wage for Dancers & choreographers was $32,147 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dancers & choreographers by wage are Tree trimmers and pruners, Baggage porters, bellhops, & concierges, and Retail salespersons.

Dancers & choreographers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Dancers & choreographers are LA City (Northeast/North Hollywood & Valley Village) PUMA, CA, Henderson City (West) PUMA, NV, and Washington Heights, Inwood & Marble Hill PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dancers & choreographers are LA City (Northeast/North Hollywood & Valley Village) PUMA, CA, Henderson City (West) PUMA, NV, and Washington Heights, Inwood & Marble Hill PUMA, NY.

cameraPhoto by Brendan

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Dancers & choreographers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Performing arts companies is the industry that employs the most Dancers & choreographers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Dancers & choreographers, by average wage, is Spectator sports. Dancers & choreographers are paid most in Inner Mission & Castro PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in LA City (Northeast/North Hollywood & Valley Village) PUMA, CA.

Yearly Wage

In 2020, Dancers & choreographers earned an average of $32,147, $23,807 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Tree trimmers and pruners make somewhat more than Dancers & choreographers while Baggage porters, bellhops, & concierges make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Dancers & choreographers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

In 2015, Dancers & choreographers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.475, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dancers & choreographers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Dancers & choreographers.

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Spatial Concentration

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Dancers & choreographers.

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Most Common

The most common industries employing Dancers & choreographers, by number of employees, are Performing arts companies, Independent artists, writers, and performers, Amusement & Recreation, Drinking places, alcoholic beverages , Other schools & instruction and educational support services, Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures, Spectator sports, Water transportation, Motion pictures & video industries, Elementary & secondary schools, and Traveler accommodation.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dancers & choreographers, by average wage, are Spectator sports, Motion pictures & video industries, and Water transportation.

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Industries by Share

The number of people employed as Dancers & choreographers has been declining at a rate of −7.12%, from 17,297 people in 2019 to 16,065 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Dancers & choreographers employed by various industries. Performing arts companies employs the largest share of Dancers & choreographers at  22.4%, followed by Independent artists, writers, and performers with 20.4% and Amusement & Recreation with 13.5%.

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Demographic information on Dancers & choreographers in the US. The average age of male Dancers & choreographers in the workforce is 31.7 and of female Dancers & choreographers is 28.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dancers & choreographers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

76.6% of Dancers & choreographers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Dancers & choreographers.

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Race & Ethnicity

56.3% of Dancers & choreographers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 15.5% of Dancers & choreographers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Dancers & choreographers.

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Age by Sex

The median age of Dancers & choreographers is 29.2, and Male employees are generally 3.27 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Data on higher education choices for Dancers & choreographers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Dancers & choreographers is Visual & Performing Arts but a relatively high number of Dancers & choreographers hold a major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

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Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Dancers & choreographers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dancers & choreographers need many skills, but most especially Instructing, Speaking, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Dancers & choreographers need more than the average amount of Coordination, Service Orientation, and Social Perceptiveness.

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What scientists know about dance

On April 29, people around the world celebrate International Dance Day. About what type of dance is best for retirees, why flamenco will not help much with weight loss, and whether dancers need painkillers, says the science department of Gazeta.Ru.

Many people see dancing as more than just a hobby or a professional sport. Often we start dancing to get in good physical shape, without resorting to visiting a sports club and exhausting walking on a treadmill. Numerous scientific studies show that dancing really has a positive effect on the physical and psychological state of a person.

First of all, dancing has an extremely positive impact on health, regardless of gender and age. Physiologists from the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted experiment , during which 54 elderly participants practiced Latin American dances twice a week for four months.

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Prior to testing, scientists measured the time it took subjects to walk a 400-meter distance. Before the experiment, the participants were not very physically active, and as part of the dance program, they had to attend classes in salsa, cha-cha-cha, bachata and merengue.

The study found that the participants took 10% less time to walk the 400-meter walk than before the experiment, and their overall physical activity increased, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

In the future, the researchers want to check, using MRI, how positively dancing has an effect on human brain activity.

A similar study, published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, was carried out by scientists from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. It turned out that Greek dance (for example, sirtaki) helps older people with heart failure become more physically resilient. Zacharia Vordos, one of the authors of the paper, suggested that such "dance therapy" could attract more patients than traditional treatment programs.

Scientists also claim that partner dancing can have an effect on a person similar to that of an anesthetic. In the journal Biology Letters , a study was published in which biologists measured the amount of endorphins formed in the blood of people after dancing. They found out,

the more difficult the dance movements were and the more synchronization of actions the dance required, the more “hormones of joy” were in the blood of the participants.

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Researchers attribute this to the fact that in addition to the pleasure of a correctly performed dance element, people feel a social connection, which, in turn, also affects the concentration of endorphins.

It is obvious that dance is different and many people who are eager to practice this sport are faced with the choice of their style. American scientists agreed on that hip-hop is the healthiest dance. The fact is that dance classes do not always involve active physical activity. Using accelerometers (portable electronic counters of the number of movements), scientists measured the physical activity of 264 girls aged 5 to 11 years old, involved in 66 different dance classes. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children spend an average of 17 minutes of active exercise and spend the rest of the activity, which usually lasts about an hour, listening to music and doing quiet exercises or stretching.

Flamenco turned out to be the most “inactive” of the seven types of dances studied: the children involved in it moved only 14% of the time. In hip-hop classes, the children devoted about 57% of the time to increased physical activity.

Today there are a huge variety of dance styles, some of which are known to relatively small groups of people. For example, in South Korea there is a musical genre called K-pop, which has absorbed elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and modern rhythm and blues. Thanks to the Internet, Korean pop culture has spread to parts of Southeast Asia, and an entire dance genre, K-pop, has been born. Korean engineers from Pohang University of Science and Technology developed the virtual K-pop dance teacher, which allows you to track the movements of the 15 joints of the human body, making it easier to learn dance at home.

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Deijin Kim and colleagues presented the development at the IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) in 2015. To create the "trainer", the team took 100 K-pop moves performed by a professional dancer and recorded the changes in the position of his joints. Then, using 3D tracking technology, they checked how similar the movements of an aspiring dancer and a professional choreographer are.

Another type of dance, previously unknown to almost anyone, but which has made a lot of noise over the past few years, is twerk. By the way, the word itself is not something new - linguists found in the 1820 edition of the Oxford Dictionary the word twirk , denoting twitching movements. The verbal form of the word was found in the dictionary of 1848, and in the current form ( twerk ) the word appeared in 1901.

The dance itself is an active movement of the hips, buttocks, abdomen and arms, and the word "twerking", denoting a dance direction, appeared in the dictionary in 2013.

Fiona MacPherson, Senior Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, commented: “We were convinced that the word twerk came from twist and jerk . However, the presence of earlier origins in the name of the dance surprised us.”

Even more surprising is the fact that the concept of "twerking" occurs in nature. Arachnologists at Simon Fraser University in Canada have discovered that male black widow spiders, one of the most dangerous spiders on the planet to humans, oscillate their abdomens to prevent the female from eating them. Such movements cause the vibration of the female's web. “Spiders take a few steps, then shake their belly. Then they take a few steps again and repeat their movements, ”explained Samantha Wiebert, study author, published by in Frontiers in Zoology. The nature of the oscillations in this case differs significantly from the convulsive movements of the victim.

How does dance make us smarter and happier?

All people can dance. You cannot erase the genetic memory - dance appeared before writing, back in the Stone Age, and since then has remained the universal language of mankind. Increasingly, studies show a direct connection between the body and the psyche, and the number of studios, troupes, genres and audiences around the world - about a keen interest and perception of dance. On International Dance Day, we decided to explain why life is so much better when you come to a party, practice or performance. And together with the Grishko brand and the soloists of the National Opera of Ukraine, show the beauty of the movement.

Yes, everyone can dance and understand dance. Mirror neurons help us with this: they are responsible for empathy and excite the nervous system when we observe how another person moves. “Dance is one of the ways to reunite with yourself, especially relevant in the era of technology,” says Nadezhda Rekhtina , psychotherapist, specialist in dance movement therapy. “With its help, we can explore our creative potential, relationships with other people, non-verbally share difficult experiences, look for new roles and ways of communication, work on self-perception.”

Therefore, dance classes are recommended for people with autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The combination of physical activity and psycho-emotional support, according to Nadezhda , is a noticeable advantage of dance over sports.

In 2008, English National Ballet launched a social program "Dance for Parkinson's" : elderly people of different ages and with different stages of the disease once a week, dance based on basic ballet movements to music from classical performances. The peculiarity of Parkinson's disease is that people affected by it tend to freeze in one position for a long time, move in small automatic steps. They start moving with difficulty and stop with difficulty, stoop strongly, use facial expressions little. Observations of the participants showed that, thanks to the classes, the quality of movements improved (they became smoother) and confidence in them, spine flexibility and stability developed, posture and coordination improved. Moreover, they became more sociable, danced with pleasure in pairs, agreed to go to other art classes together.

“Dance improves the quality of life,” says Nadezhda Rekhtina . “In American hospices, for example, dance-movement therapy is practiced for cancer patients to brighten up the last months of life and fill them with feelings and emotions.”

What motivates us to dance? Often - for many years, or even a lifetime? Even before writing and speaking, dance was the most important way to communicate. A person obeys the herd instinct, which means exchanging information with others is one of his main needs. Dance satisfies her completely: it regularly feeds new knowledge during lessons, requires constant contact with a partner or colleagues, allows you to communicate simultaneously with a large number of people - the public. In the dance, they exchange not only information, but also actions, learn to establish mutual understanding.

In the case of ballet, the fact that a person knows exactly how the result should look like works additionally: all movements are performed strictly according to the rules, canons are applied everywhere, which one must strive for. The constant pursuit of the ideal activates the reward systems (and hence the production of dopamine - the "hormone of pleasure") and punishment of the brain, and reinforces behavior. This explains the determination and perseverance in the nature of professional artists.

Memory allows them to improve, which the dance also actively uses and develops. For example, ballet works with short-term, working and procedural memory - this is memorization of the principles of movement, and the subsequent reproduction of movements according to these principles, and the execution of combinations based on learned movements. Therefore Nadezhda Rekhtina invites parents to develop bodily and sensory experience with their kids before sending them to educational circles from the age of 3. It will form the necessary neural connections, and thanks to them, reading and mathematics will be easy for the child.

Neuropsychologist and choreographer Corin Jola , one of the authors of the Watching Dance: Kinesthetic Empathy project at the University of Glasgow, claims that dance helps even the audience learn. During the presentation, they activate areas of the brain that are responsible for understanding language and for action. In addition, the dance tells the audience how to understand social situations and communicate with other people.

Of course, the depth of perception largely depends on how familiar the viewer was with the proposed art before. In his work, Jola quotes the French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu : "A work has meaning and interest only for those who have cultural competence, that is, the code with which it (the work) is encoded."

At the same time, everyone can practice dance, the main thing is to choose the appropriate method and direction. “For example, in therapy, expressive dance will be useful for people who are closed and reserved, for example, office workers. Here you can discard social norms and express your feelings. But for people with psychiatric disorders, this method can harm. Therefore, it is better to consult with a specialist first, ”says Nadezhda Rekhtina . Similarly, dance movement therapy is suitable for those who have a disturbed body image (for example, when an anorexic seems to be fat). But such people are better off not doing ballet.

As for the effect on the body, the first advantage of dance is that it keeps most of the muscles, even the smallest ones, in good shape. “The main thing is to smoothly adapt them to the loads,” says Roman Blonsky , orthopedic traumatologist, candidate of medical sciences, senior researcher at the sports and ballet injury clinic of the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. “People begin to practice professional dance from early childhood. Systematic loads allow the bone growth zones to adapt, and a person tolerates training normally. It is much more difficult for adult beginners, as the muscles involved in the dance are not used to the work. Sharp loads, according to the doctor, are fraught with enthesopathy, tendinopathies, myositis (diseases associated with inflammation of the joints, tendons, skeletal muscles - ed.), which lead to frequent injuries.

“Ballet, like dance in general, is useful for developing tissue elasticity. Plus, posture is developed, the risks of early diseases of the spine are reduced, Roman Blonsky shares, “Overload on certain groups of muscles and joints is harmful, this happens when the training process is built incorrectly. Also, dancers need to warm up well, practice in high-quality shoes and clothes, in warm halls. All this saves you from injury.”

The constant change of rhythm, direction of movement develops motor skills and orientation in space, and also helps to burn a lot of calories. For example, after doing ballet for an hour, you can lose 600 or more calories, depending on your weight. Slenderness, by the way, is one of the reasons for the longevity of ballet dancers, I'm sure Blonsky : “It has been proven that the slimmer a person is, the less stress on the cardiovascular system. This means less risk of heart attack or stroke, the leading causes of death.”

Models: soloists of the National Opera of Ukraine Yulia Kulik, Alexey Potemkin, Anna Muromtseva
Photo: Sasha Zlunitsyna

We thank the Grishko brand for help in organizing the shooting.


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