Ballet dancers are an unusual population of athletes in that your success depends upon physical, mental and aesthetic demands. For optimal performance, you need to consume a balanced diet and cross-train by participating in other forms of exercise supplementary to dancing. A dancer's diet should consist of 60 percent carbohydrates, 15 percent protein and 25 percent fat. Ballet is an intermittent, high-intensity form of activity; therefore, you need to cross-train in aerobic activities to benefit both your metabolism and cardiovascular fitness.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the main sources of fuel for your body, be it your muscles, nervous system, brain or even red blood cells. You, like other athletes, must consume quality carbohydrate sources to provide your muscles with the energy needed to support the significant requirements of dance. There are three main categories of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, the simplest form found in sugars and fruits; disaccharides, two sugar molecules bound together found in table sugar and milk; and polysaccharides, the most complex form, found in potatoes, wheat and other vegetables. Make complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and vegetables the majority of your intake. Fruits are an important part of your diet as well.
Protein
Your diet should include lean sources of protein such as lean meats, low-fat dairy, nuts, beans and soy. Protein helps you maintain muscle mass and ligaments and supports healthy hair and nails. You must obtain nine essential amino acids through your diet. Proteins that contain all nine amino acids are called complete proteins. Complete protein sources include meat, poultry, fish, a combination of beans and rice, and a grain called quinoa. In the book "Diet for Dancers," Dr. Sally Fitt recommends that dancers consume 20 percent of their protein from complete protein sources. As an athlete, you should consume 1.2 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Fat
Fat is imperative to the dancer's diet. Fat promotes healthy brain, nerve and reproductive function. Fat sources also provide you with many important nutrients. Without fat, you could not absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. If you consume fat in your diet, you feel fuller longer and eat fewer calories throughout the day than if you eat a low-fat diet. Eating olive oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and low-fat dairy provides you with many nutritional benefits.
The Demands of Dance
Ballet and modern dance are nonsteady state, high-intensity exercise, making these forms of dance similar to other anaerobic exercise like sprinting or lifting weights. Dr. J. L. Cohen performed studies, reported in two journals, on dancers to determine their heart rates and cardiorespiratory responses to dance. He determined that the average female dancer expends 200 calories in an average ballet class. He also observed dancers' work to be similar to interval training with bouts of high-intensity exercise for two to three minutes followed by two to three minutes of rest. This indicates that ballet and modern dance do not promote extreme fat or calorie expenditure. As a dancer, you need strong cardiovascular fitness. Because you do not get this training during your average dance class, you need to cross-train in activities that promote aerobic fitness.
Cross-Training for Dancers
To help maintain the aesthetic and physical demands of ballet, try cross-training. Dancers, especially vocational dance students, should participate in general circuit training and interval training. The circuit training sessions should last 20 to 40 minutes with a focus of gaining strength and power. Interval training should utilize an exercise-to-rest ratio of 1:1 with the each interval lasting three to six minutes. The intensity of the exercise interval should be very high at 90 to 95 of maximum heart rate, as this resembles the anaerobic power required in dance. To see improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, participate in these activities more than three times per week. Once you have arrived at your fitness goal, participate in these activities one to two times per week.
References
- "Diet for Dancers"; Sally Fitt, Ph.D., and Robin Chmelar; 1990
- "101 Sports Nutrition Tips"; Susan Kundrat, MS, RD, LD; 2005
- "The Physician and Sportsmedicine"; Heart rate response to ballet stage performance; Cohen, J.L. et al.; 10(11):120-133; 1982
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Cardiorespiratory responses to ballet exercise and the VO2max of elite ballet dancers; Cohen et al.; 14:212-217; 1982
- "Journal of Dance Medicine and Science"; Cardiorespiratory training for dancers; Wyon M.; 9(1):7-12; 2005
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