Comparison of Lower-limb Kinematics in Bharatanatyam and Ballet Dancers / Neha Harinath (2020)

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form that originated in South Asia. Although it is a widely practised form of dance it has received very little attention in terms of biomechanical research. Ballet, another classical dance form shares a lot of similarities with Bharatanatyam. Both the genres have a very structured technique and a defined form with emphasis on symmetry. Bharatanatyam and ballet have two very similar movements as part of their vocabulary- the aramandi which is similar to a demi-plié and muzhumandi which is similar to a grand plié. This study aimed to understand the kinematics of aramandi and muzhumandi and compare it with the corresponding movements in ballet to examine the similarities and differences between the movements. Eight Bharatanatyam dancers (Age- 25 ± 8.69, Experience- 13.9 ± 10.84) and nine ballet dancers (Age-22.75 ± 2.91, Experience- 13.5 ± 6.07) participated in the study. A 2D motion analysis was employed to measure the final angle, angular displacement, and angular velocity of the knee and ankle joints for all four movements along with the time taken to complete each movement. A one-way MANOVA found a significant difference between aramandi and demi-plié but there was no overall significant difference between muzhumandi and grand plié. Paired sample t-tests were used to understand the impact of lateral bias on the kinematics of all four movements. There was no significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant sides suggesting Bharatanatyam and ballet training can be effective in promoting symmetry.