INTRODUCTION: Athletes' kinanthropometric profiles are widely addressed in the scientific literature. Such profiles are particularly important in volleyball because absolute size contributes a significant percentage of total variance associated with athletic success. As in other team sports, volleyball players' kinanthropometric attributes correlate with the game's tactical demands. From 1992 through 2000, the Cuban women's volleyball team achieved top global performance, winning first place in three successive Summer Olympic Games. OBJECTIVE: Describe the kinanthropometric profiles of Cuban women Olympic volleyball champions during 1992-2000 and compare these by position played. METHODS: Measurements were taken of body composition, somatotype, proportionality and several anthropometric indicators in 41 Cuban women volleyball players, grouped by playing position. All were members of the national team that participated in the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000). Mean and standard deviations were calculated for all study variables. Analysis of variance was used to compare means for different positions for the variables weight; height; percent adipose, muscle and bone mass; body mass index; and muscle-to-bone ratio. Discriminant analysis was performed to identify anthropometric dimensions differentiating playing positions (center, spiker and setter), using p<0.05 as significance threshold. Results were presented in tables and figures. RESULTS: Centers presented greater absolute size and higher average adipose (22.8±1.7 kg) and bone (7.1±0.6 kg) mass. The mean somatotype of all volleyball players was balanced mesomorphic (2.7-3.6-2.9). Classified by position, centers (2.9-3.4-3.4) and spikers (2.8-3.6-2.9) presented an average mesomorphic-ectomorphic somatotype, and setters (2.6-3.7-2.6) were balanced mesomorphic. On assessing Somatotype Attitudinal Mean (SAM), centers and spikers showed more intrapositional homogeneity than that of setters. Centers were significantly taller (187.1±2.5 cm) than players in other positions. Centers' percent adipose tissue mass (28.9±2.7%) was significantly higher than that of setters (24.3±2.7%), who were leanest of all positions. CONCLUSIONS: The kinanthropometric profile of Cuban women Olympic volleyball champions was defined by considerable muscular-skeletal development, with a predominantly mesomorphic somatotype and low endomorphy. Height and body composition varied significantly by playing position.

INTRODUÇÃO E OBJETIVO: Um bailarino de balé com grande potencialidade de eficiência de movimento técnico transitivo deve mostrar porcentagens de áreas musculares dos segmentos apendiculares em uma volumetria espacial que não o qualifique como feio na sua figura. O propósito desta investigação é comparar a volumetria e composição percentual muscular dos segmentos corporais dos dançarinos de elite de balé com relação à dança moderna e folclórica. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um estudo antropométrico dos melhores dançarinos cubanos das companhias Balé Nacional de Cuba (BCN), Dança Nacional (DN) e Conjunto Folclórico Nacional (CFN). Seguindo o critério de seleção dos professores, quanto à figura e o desempenho técnico artístico, mediram-se os melhores dançarinos de cada companhia, com idades entre 18 e 40 anos. Aplicou-se um protocolo antropométrico de 10 medições. Utilizaram-se as equações do modelo geométrico de cálculo das áreas transversais totais e musculares dos segmentos apendiculares para estimar a volumetria e composição muscular. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÃO: A expressão quantitativa das áreas totais por segmentos - em suas múltiplas relações de similitude e diferença - ratificaram os enunciados empíricos que referem um critério diferencial de beleza cênica corporal para os bailarinos de ambos sexos do BNC, em relação aos de DN e CFN. Os dados demonstraram que a linearidade morfológica de um bailarino de elite é independente da expressão de uma potencialidade menor - exceto para a dançarina do CFN - de eficiência do movimento técnico transitivo.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: A ballet dancer with great potential of efficiency for technical transitive movement should show muscle area percentages of body segments in some range of spatial volume that does not classify him /her as an ugly figure. The purpose of this article is to compare the volumetry and percentages on the muscle composition of body segments for elite ballet dancers, with modern-folkloric dancers. METHODS: The best dancers of the Cuban National Ballet (BNC), National Dance (DN) and National Folkloric Group (CFN). The best dancers -ages between 18 and 40 years - were measured following the selection criteria of expert teachers about body shape and technical-artistic performance. An anthropometric protocol of 10 measurements was applied. The equations of geometric model to estimate the total and muscle cross sectional areas of body segments were used, in order to determine the volume and muscle composition. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The quantitative expression of total cross sectional areas for body segments -in their many relations of similarity and difference- confirmed the empirical statements about a specific criterion of body scenic beauty for both sex dancers from BNC comparing with DN and CFN. Data demonstrated that morphological linearity of an elite dancer is independent from a less potential-except for female dancer from CFN- of efficiency for technical transitive movement.

The level of scenic beauty of the ballet dancer figurine is determined by a set of morphofunctional characteristics that are exclusively valid for this modality. Female ballet dancers and aesthetic sport athletes share the characteristic of being slim and of efficiently executing the complex movements of their technical activities. The objective of this study was to compare the body composition of female ballet dancers and elite female athletes participating in artistic gymnastics (AG), rhythmic gymnastics (RG), and synchronized swimming (SS). Thirty-two female ballet dancers of the National Ballet School and 63 elite aesthetic sport athletes from Cuba were studied. An anthropometric protocol consisting of 16 measures was applied to calculate the body composition indexes. Overall body fat percentage (BF) was significantly higher in dancers when compared to the AG and RG groups, but was similar to that of the SS group. Overall muscle mass percentage (MM) was significantly higher in the AG and RG groups than in dancers. The ballet group showed the minor differential PM-BF and muscular percentage of the transverse areas of the segments of extremities than the elite athlete groups. Differences in the body composition indexes were observed between the ballet group and the aesthetic sport groups. The results obtained indicate a lower efficiency of technical transitive movement in female ballet dancers.

El modelo de cuerpo de ballet significa la belleza escénica de la figura del bailarín desde el poseer un conjunto de características morfo-funcionales válidas exclusivamente para el canon del arte. Las bailarinas de ballet y las atletas de deportes estéticos comparten la necesidad de ser delgadas y ejecutar eficientemente los complejos movimientos de sus actividades técnicas. El propósito del artículo es comparar la composición corporal de bailarinas de ballet respecto a la de atletas elites de gimnasia artística (GAR), gimnasia rítmica (GRI) y nado sincronizado (NAS). Se estudiaron antropométricamente 32 bailarinas de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet y 63 atletas femeninas de elite de deportes estéticos de Cuba. Se aplicó un protocolo antropométrico de 16 mediciones para calcular los indicadores de la composición corporal. El porcentaje general de la masa grasa (PMG) de las bailarinas fue significativamente diferente al de los grupos de GAR y GRI, pero similar al de las nadadoras sincronizadas. Un mayor porcentaje general de masa muscular (PMM) se obtuvo para los equipos de GAR y GRI en comparación con el de las danzantes. El grupo de ballet mostró menores diferenciales PMM-PMG y porcentajes musculares de las áreas transversas de los segmentos de las extremidades que los conjuntos de deportistas elites. Las bailarinas de ballet señalaron indicadores diferentes de composición corporal que los registrados por los equipos deportivos. Los datos clasificaron al grupo de ballet como el de potencialidad menor de eficiencia de movimiento técnico transitivo de la investigación.

En la valoración cualitativa de la gordura-delgadez del bailarín de ballet la visión volumétrica como un todo de su figura, define su linealidad morfológica. Un valor de peso corporal para la estatura se relaciona cuantitativamente con la clasificación empírica de linealidad morfológica del danzante. El propósito de la investigación es comparar las relaciones del peso corporal para la estatura entre grupos de bailarines de ballet y danza moderna y folclórica (DMF). Se estudiaron bailarines de las mejores compañías profesionales y escuelas de nivel medio de ballet y DMF de Cuba. La relación del peso corporal para la estatura se calculó empleando el Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) a partir de la medición antropométrica del peso corporal y la estatura. Las comparaciones estadísticas se realizaron por la prueba t Student para muestras independientes (p<0,05). Se registraron diferencias significativas en el IMC de los bailarines profesionales de ballet de uno u otro sexo, respecto a los de DMF. Las estudiantes de ballet mostraron valores menores de IMC que las de DMF, mientras en las comparaciones entre los varones estudiantes se registraron similitudes estadísticas. El promedio del IMC para las estudiantes de ballet se encontró en el intervalo clasificado como bajo peso (< 18.5 kg/m²) por la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Los valores de IMC permitieron diferenciar la linealidad morfológica en el nivel profesional entre los bailarines de ballet y danza folclórica de uno u otro sexo y en el nivel estudiantil entre las bailarinas.

In order to assess qualitatively the fatness-slenderness of ballet dancers in an holistic volumetric classification of their figures and define the morphological linearity, a value of body weight for stature is quantitatively related to the empirical classification of morphological linearity of dancers. The purpose of this research is to compare the relations of body weight for stature between dancer groups of ballet and modern & folkloric dance (MFD). Dancers of the best professional companies and medium level schools of ballet and MFD from Cuba were studied anthropometrically. The body weight and stature were measured. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated in order to determine the relation of body weight for stature. The Student t- test for independent sample was applied to measure the differences between the types of dancers. There were significant differences in BMI values between ballet professional dancers in both sexes, and MFD. The female student of ballet showed lower values of IMC than MFD students; while the comparison between male students registered statistical similarities. The BMI average of female ballet dancers was in a range classified as low body weight (< 18.5 kg/m²) by the Word Health Organization. The BMI values made it possible to distinguish the morphological linearity for both females and males of the professional level between ballet dancers and folkloric dancers and female dancers of the student level.

The color of the skin is a class within the systemic model of the body of the Cuban ballet dancer. Many Cubans, who are not dancers, consider the color of the skin like one of the main characteristics to be taken in account to enter and to successfully remain in the ballet field. The objective of this research paper is to determine the impact of the skin color in the appreciation of the scenic body beauty of the ballet dancer within the Cuban field. The empirical evidences, over which the thesis and interpretations stand, arise from a five year long period of ethnographical fieldwork among the main institutions of the Cuban ballet field. The color of the skin integrates hierarchically the evaluation of the scenic corporal beauty of the Cuban dancer realized by a sector of the social field and no other considers it. The kind of skin color discrimination was expressed by depreciating the scenic body beauty of black and brown dancers of Cuban field compared to the white skin dancers. The facts pointed out frequently practices of kind of skin color discrimination at the professional area than for student system in the social field.

El color de la piel es una clase dentro del modelo sistémico de cuerpo del bailarín cubano de ballet. Muchos cubanos externos al campo del ballet valoran el color de la piel como una de las características fundamentales para decidir el ingreso y la permanencia exitosa del bailarín en su entorno danzario. El objetivo de la investigación es determinar el impacto del color de la piel en la apreciación de belleza escénica corporal del bailarín de ballet del campo cubano. Las evidencias empíricas que sustentan las tesis e interpretaciones fueron obtenidas por un trabajo de campo etnográfico en las principales instituciones del campo social durante cinco años. El tipo de color de la piel integra jerárquicamente la valoración de belleza escénica corporal del bailarín cubano de un sector del campo social y en otro no se considera. En el campo la discriminación por el tipo de color de la piel se expresa en la devaluación de la apreciación de belleza escénica corporal del bailarín socialmente negro y mulato respecto al de color blanco. Las evidencias señalaron más frecuentemente prácticas de discriminación por el tipo de color de piel en el entorno profesional, que en el sistema de enseñanza del campo.

El ballet es considerado una manifestación artística con un criterio anatómico selectivo particular que hace énfasis en la linealidad y delgadez de sus artistas. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar las variaciones del peso y la estatura, mediante los índices Peso-Edad, Talla-Edad y Peso-Talla, en los bailarines de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet en dos momentos del proceso de crecimiento. Se realizó un estudio de cohortes en 54 bailarinas y 40 bailarines con edades entre 15 y 20 años. Se midió el peso y la estatura para determinar los indicadores peso-edad, talla-edad y peso-talla en los bailarines. Los resultados principales expresan incrementos significativos de peso y estatura por edades en los dos sexos. En el análisis del peso corporal de los bailarines de ballet la estimación de la composición corporal y la evaluación de la maduración sexual y esquelética son imprescindibles para generar un diagnóstico adecuado. Las tablas de talla-edad, vigentes en el sistema de salud pública de Cuba, son buenas para describir los cambios y generar pronósticos de la estatura en los bailarines estudiados. Los resultados muestran la variabilidad y complejidad del peso corporal en el ballet y no recomiendan el uso de las tablas cubanas de peso-edad y peso-talla, debido a que no describen adecuadamente los cambios de peso según la edad, ni las relaciones entre el peso y la estatura en los bailarines de los dos sexos

Ballet is considered an artistic manifestation with an anatomical selective matter approach that makes emphasis in the artists linearity and thinness. The objective of this investigation is to assess the body weight and the stature of the dancers of the Cuban National School of Ballet in two moments of its growth. A cohort study in 54 girls and 40 boys, between 15 and 20 years old was carried out. Weight and stature were measured in order to determine the indexes weight for age, height for age and t weight for height. The main results show significant increments of weight and stature for ages in the two sexes. In the analysis of body weight of the ballet dancers, the estimation of body composition and the evaluation of pubertal and skeletal development are mandatory in order to generate an adequate diagnosis. Height for age tables, used in the Cuban public health system are good for measuring changes and for predicting final height in the dancers studied. The Cuban Charts for weight for age and weight for height don't describe accurately, the changes of weight for age, or the relationship of weight for stature for the dancers of both sexes