EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SPOTTING HEIGHTS ON BALLETT PIROUETTE PERFORMANCE

Having a focus of attention (FOA) in executing complex motor tasks can facilitate task execution. Children in dance schools are taught to direct their focus toward an external point of fixation when performing a pirouette. This behaviour influences subsequent movements. We studied the effect of different fixation points on the posture of ten experienced female dancers during the performance of a pirouette. Specifically, , the shifting of forces between supporting and gesture legs during the preparation phase and the times of execution of the pirouette were studied. . The preparation phase showed a closer placement of the feet than found in previous studies (28% vs 40 % of leg length) and a preferred spotting height of 55% of the body heightDancers exerted a greater vertical force on their gesture foot in the push off phase in a high spotting condition and a smaller vertical force when they performed in a low spotting condition. Pirouettes with a lowspotting height showed a longer start and times to peak force of the supporting leg. No statisticaldifferences were found for bending time on the pirouettes with different spotting heights. The hell landing forces for the gesture leg showed a significant difference (p < .01 between trials for the 4 different spotting heights.Finally, , Small adjustments in external FOA (< 30 cm at 3, 5 m of distance) did not influence the performance of the pirouettes significantly but greater gaps did.