Height / weight

Hi,

In a couple of posts, people refer to being overweight, losing weight, etc.

I was just wondering, what do you think is a “good” weight for a non-professional dancer?
I understand the danger that being overweight poses to your health, but being underweight also isn’t recommendable.

If you take the Body Mass Index as a rule of thumb, 20-25 is considered healthy, over 25 overweight and under 20 could mean being underweight.
But this is without the added stresses of jumps etc, of course.

I was wondering if there is a point where healthy for a non-dancer and healthy for a dancer would contradict, if you know what I mean.
(eg. if a good weight for a dancer, considering extra forces exerted trough jumps etc, would mean a BMI of, let’s say 15 would be desirable, this would pose a problem for almost all dancers - to be clear: this is a fictional example, I’m in no way implying people should or should not try to obtain a certain BMI)

Stopping now, before I confuse myself along with everyone else.

Kaat

January 17, 2007 | In Questions |

31 Comments »

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  1. I agree, the BMI is a very good reference point, as it takes into account the amount of muscle weight you have as against “fat” weight. An excellent resource is a book by Covert Bailey that discusses this issue, as well as the importance of healthy eating to promote lean weight, not fat weight. This book is called “Fit or Fat” and explains how metabolism and weight work, in a very clear and helpful way.

    Obviously the standard of weight is going to be more stringent for professional dancers than for people who just want to take ballet lessons, or study for a while and then do something else with their lives. Ballet students and adolescents in general need to be strong and healthy, and neither obsessed with being too thin, nor the opposite, throwing caution to the winds and saying it doesn’t matter if you are overweight. If you love dancing, doesn’t it make sense to maintain a reasonable, normal weight, because it will help you dance better? Even if you ARE a good dancer, not dragging around extra weight will enable you to be an even better dancer. It is also a question of having respect for the art you practice, as well as respect for your own body, and respect for all the dancers who have the self-discipline to maintain reasonable weights.

    Of course, if your weight, either under or over, is a result of a true medical condition, that obviously needs to be addressed specifically. And, if anyone decides to lose weight, and does not have a known medical condition, it is not a bad idea to do so with some form of medical supervision to make sure you are doing it carefully and healthily.

    Comment by Zoe — January 18, 2007 #

  2. i’m completely confused but anyhow i believe that the scales should be avoided as muscle weighs a lot more than fat!!! some people just don’t get that concept and get upset over it. so long as people eat healthy foods and have the right dietry balance and don’t look scarily thin or overweight then that is fine. I tend to compare myself to other dancers in my classes and that really doesn’t help and then i get upset

    Comment by Ashley — January 18, 2007 #

  3. Don’t compare yourself to anyone except to yourself, and your own progress. Yes, it is true that muscle weighs more than fat but there is a tendency for people to use that as a lovely excuse and insist they are “solid muscle” when they are in fact….not. It really is not confusing if you take the time to read a little bit about it, it is interesting to learn about how the body works, and is a tool for you, not only for ballet but for life. There is a wealth of information available on the internet as well as in bookstores, worth everyone’s while.

    Comment by Zoe — January 18, 2007 #

  4. The best judge of ideal weight is whatever allows you to get the best strength:weight ratio. This would generally be judged in a one-legged exercise, like a lunge, pistol squat, split squat, etc.

    It might differ a bit for men since they also need lifting abilities and might need to put on some upper body mass, which might skew their ideal lower weight ratio, though probably not much.

    Comment by Tyciol — January 19, 2007 #

  5. Yes, ideal weight for general life or athletes who are not also dealing with developing a certain aesthetic look; we’re going back to the need of people who pursue ballet, either as amateurs or professionals, with the desire of doing it as well as they can, to be slim, not over bulky with either muscle or fat. Someone with bulky muscles is going to have difficulty holding positions precisely and with grace, and if a woman or girl has big muscles — and some women do, in proportion to their body size — it does not contribute to the beauty of line. Perhaps in some people’s sense of aesthetics it does, but ballet, like it or not, has a certain look that defines it. That is not to say dancers have to be cookie-cutters but if, for example, you have a corps de ballet of women, some of whom are tall, some of whom are short, bulky, fat, overly thin, it is going to look pretty silly.

    Furthermore, ballet dancers don’t really do lunges or squats in the traditional gymnastic, “personal trainer” or weight-lifter way. Those are usually turned in and tend to develop larger, tight quadriceps, especially if the people doing them are carrying extra weight to begin with; muscles get bigger on heavier people simply to be able to carry around the extra weight (which I have seen many, many times). They also tend to be performed in a rather ballistic, bouncing way, which is tougher on joints than, for example, a plie, which is a slow, turned out “squat,” if you will, that (when correctly performed) stretches the muscles as well as strengthens them. While ballet dancers certainly need their quads, they need elongated and pliable thigh and hip muscles, whether it’s quads, sartorius, biceps femoris, glutes, etc. that allow them to stretch the leg to the maximum as well as perform movements requiring great strength.

    Comment by Zoe — January 20, 2007 #

  6. With BMI’s healthy is healthy, no matter what you do with your life, you still should be a healthy weight - however because we dance, we tend to use up more of our fat and usually will weigh slightly less than we should, but so long as it is only a slight difference there is nothing to worry about.

    Abbie

    Comment by Abbie — January 23, 2007 #

  7. ask your teacher she should know

    Comment by Nancy — February 2, 2007 #

  8. ^ nacy,im not sure if people should ask their teachers weight questions…thats just my opinion though. maybe other teachers are different,but i dont think my teacher would react well to a weight question…shed either be like lose weight,or you look fine-no matter what the question…

    Comment by Avie' — February 12, 2007 #

  9. Oh yeah I didn’t think of it that way SORRY. :(

    Comment by Nancy — March 9, 2007 #

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  11. as long as you eat heathly weight shouldnt be a problem

    Comment by kate — May 4, 2007 #

  12. I guess wieght doesn’t really matter…ballet can keep you fit and active. Dancers just should eat healthy and not worry about weight because they shouldn’t starve themselves.

    Comment by dani — May 25, 2007 #

  13. the BMI doesnt take into account ur muscle mass and/or fat mass, so i choose to ignore it. XD there are other ways to find out if ure healthier or not…

    first off, if u (as a woman) have a waist over 35 inches, then ure getting into some risky business. i suppose it really matters if ure tall and/or short, sooooo…
    just ask a expert. a smart one. who specializes in these things.

    Comment by Abella — June 9, 2007 #

  14. oh, and i forgot to mention:
    to get an idea about wat ur weight should be, measure ur height and add 100 pounds for every 5 feet, and 5 pounds per inch. theres about a 10 pound radius around it to account for muscle mass and/or bone mass (and fat mass, i suppose. meh. i dont know.)

    for instance:
    if ur height is 5′4″, then a goodish weight for u might be 120 lbs, give or take a few pounds especially considering the extra muscle mass that is necessary for ballet and whatnot.

    Comment by Abella — June 9, 2007 #

  15. hi!im 1.62m and im 51kg…..im dancing since i was 3 years old..
    is my weight good?or should i loose some weight????????????????????????????

    Comment by stefania — June 17, 2007 #

  16. ummm….heyy
    well im 16 and i have been dancing my whole life. so i have seen my fair share of people getting bullied by the teachers and students for being overweight but never underweight…which really bugged me. But i guess i was lucky to be what i was. Anyway. i do on some level agree that having a good body weight is important for a dancer but in this text above it says that for a good BMI is 20-25 but if your over it your overweight and if your under your underweight…and then go and say that 15 is good for a dancer when you know that it is unsafe, not healthy and clearly underweight…i love dancing and i dont tend to stop anytime soon…but i think that its becasue of people like this who post stuff like that is just sad.
    there is more to ballet then just a perfect body. and it makes me mad to think some people or so thik headed and think that becuase someone is fat there a bad dancer and because there skinny there a good dancer. it doesn’t work like that and is discrimination.

    Comment by Gemma — June 28, 2007 #

  17. Hey i totaly agree with you Gemma! I’m not a skinny dancer and don’t like the way i look in a leotard but there is no way i would stop dancing just because of it and i don’t feel i’m any less of a dancer because i’m not a stick ( no offense to any skinny pepole out there). Once again thanks Gemma!!

    Comment by hayley — July 1, 2007 #

  18. Dancing should be about having fun, not about what you look like. If you are a young dancer and you are looking for some professional work then mabe you should start dieting ifn you are over wieght.
    Nikki!!!!!!

    Comment by Nikki — July 2, 2007 #

  19. I think it is important to have a good figure if you are a dancer 15 and above and doing ballet properly.

    It is so much nicer when you see your self in the mirror, and see your legs and body shape in your leotard and tights. You will also find that as you get older and go into a more advanceed ballet class about 90% of the other pupils will be skinny, and i dont mean to bring anyone down but if you are looking for any professional ballet work you will have a much better chance if you are skinny rather than over weight.

    Nikki

    Nikki!!!!

    Comment by Nikki — July 2, 2007 #

  20. yes but if you are too skinny you will not be accepted into major ballet companies etc. also i have a strange body type, the top half of me is really thin but my legs are quite bulky with muscle, i am not tall, but i am seen as having a bad body type why? i am not overweight or ‘fat’ i weigh less than mostt of my friends that are the same height but contain more muscle. so how can muscle way more than fat?

    Comment by lily — July 26, 2007 #

  21. there izn much u kan do about being accetpd into major ballet skoolz lilly!!…honesty they dont jus accept skinny gurlz..
    they take gurls who have talent, skills and determination…i study @ the Australian ballet and there are so many beautiful gurls who have a very think build yet you cant take your eyes off them when they dance….
    im also a biology student and fat weighz like half the amount of muscle!!! its like the same thing when you compare water and milk…umm i dunno there both liqud and both are good and healthy for you yet why is mile there?
    i use 2 have the same problem…i have been dancing since i woz 3 and so my thighs became like rocks and my calvs were small but they were onli muscle…i spoke 2 my gp and she suggestd that you have to wait a lil while dont stop but slow down your exercise…the muscle will turn into fat and then the only thing you can do is then burn the fat away…but you have 2 chose the right exercise to lose the fat. if you chose to only use dancing as you source of exercise the fat will turn into muslce and become twice as big…
    having big legs due to muscle isnt actually bad!!! sometimes you can feel spechial about it…most girls are either just skinny or big build…muscle is good :P

    Comment by Gemma — July 27, 2007 #

  22. thanks for that! but i really do not understand how muscle can wigh more. because i am quite light, but have ALOT of muscle…. (not meaning to sound like i am showing off… i dont see it as a giid thing btw)
    wow you go to australian ballet school? i hell want to go there!! i auditioned but i didnt get in… i was soo stupid.. i tore ligaments in my foot about 3 days before and i didnt tell them i had an injury… because i was scared… ahahha oh well.. anyway thanks for that. i really wish i was skinnier tho!!! arrrgghhhh!!

    Comment by lily — July 28, 2007 #

  23. lily: muscle weighs more than fat per unit volume. it is the same thing as if you weighed two blocks that were exactly the same size, one made out of wood, the other out of solid metal. the metal one would weigh more. if you wiegh less than your friends of the same height who have less muscle, you are probably thinner than they are.
    as for having muscular legs, most dancers I have met consider themselves bulkier than they actually are. if you are really worried about it though, the first thing to do is check your technique. are you always straightening your knees all the way, and are you keeping your pelvis upright (your hip bones should be straight up and down). if not your body may be compensating and causing bulky muscles. if you are always using proper technique, then there are a few other things to do. always stretch after class. not stretching a muslce after it has been used can cause it to bulk up. the other thing to do is even yourself out by toning the muscles of your upper body. this will keep it from being so much of a contrast and people will notice less.
    as for the original post: for a non-professional dancer, BMI is a good enough place to start, but not comprehensive enough to really say all that much. BMI doesn’t take into acount bone density, skeletal size (different people have bones of different sizes), muslce to fat ratio, race, or age, all of which play a role in determining someone’s healthy weight. generally, if someone eats healthy and gets enough exercise, they will have a fairly healthy weight (there are some exceptions to this, both for genetic reasons and prior lifstyle). dancers do tend to be on the thin side, as are most athletes, because they spend more time exercising and most serious dancers eat healthier than the general population because, due to the added stress on their bodies, an unhealthy diet can increass the risk of injury and illness. also, you wouldn’t want to eat a large, high-fat meal right before class, rehearsal, or a performace, you would probably feel sick to your stomach.

    Comment by Marissa — July 29, 2007 #

  24. I disagree with the whole thing about being too skinney….if you havent noticed most major ballet companies are only taking the thinner ones its just the way ballet world goes these days…I dont know maybe its because im russian born and raised i go to the Vaganova academy and theres a strick policy about weight we get weighed every week and are only allowed one meal a day at the dorms but the thing is if you ask anyone if they’d rather see a bigger person or skinnier person on stage dancing around to tell you the truth most would say the smaller because the just float around the stage and it doesnt take any effort for them it just looks effortless and plus compaies are going to choose the smaller people because they are easier to lift and they just look better on stage and in the costumes than bigger people…face it George balanchine changed the world on dance on the way people view a dancer and theres no way it can be changed…now im not saying if your bigger you’ll never make it to be a professional but I am saying you’ll never make it to the major companies like boston,New York city ballet, American Ballet theater,San Francisco,Milwaukee, Pacific Northwest,Miami city or any other let alone any of them in europe and this is why the europeans are taking over there smaller and they have beeter training…face it im right

    Comment by natasha — August 8, 2007 #

  25. Natasha: the problem with being too skinney is it encourages eating disorders. dancers who are constantly being told they need to be smaller often resort to eating almost nothing, which can cause major health problems. there are however ways of achieving a smaller look without resorting to anorexia.

    Comment by Marissa — August 8, 2007 #

  26. hya ive read in loads of places that yah have to be really skinny and quite tall to be a ballet dancer, and im not tall or really skinny, but im not fat…im startin ballet and was wandering do you think i should lose some weight?

    Comment by Paige — September 1, 2007 #

  27. Paige: it is not true that ballet dancers need to be tall, they just look tall because they are thin and when they are on pointe they are taller than when they are standing flat footed. the only reason a dancer might need to lose weight is because they are going to be dancing professionaly. since you are just starting dance you shouldn’t try to lose weight at first because if you are taking enough classes to have any hope of dancing professionaly you will probably lose weight without trying.

    Comment by Marissa — September 1, 2007 #

  28. I lost five ponds last summer for a summer intensive and kept it off, that is until school started. Now I am 133 lbs and need to loose at least 10lbs in four weeks. I started to eat more, especially when I was not hungry. Over the last few months, I have changed my eating habits and exercise but I have gained 5 more pounds. I am not sure why I gained weight when everything I am doing is to loose weight. What could be the reason for my weight gain?

    Comment by Eve — March 25, 2008 #

  29. I myself am skinny but the scales donht say that, this is because i have heavy bones and the wieght of my mucels is affecting the number on the screen. Dancers do have lots of mucels and their thighs tend to get very big. You shouldnt compare yourself to others and you should not under eat!!!

    Comment by Nikki — March 28, 2008 #

  30. hay
    i am doing design and technology for my HSC and for my major design project i have to find out what size a professional ballerina e.g. waist, chest, bum etc.
    so if anyone knows please comment back

    Comment by emily — January 30, 2009 #

  31. Hey,

    As a personal trainer and a non professional dancer I would recommend going by body fat percentage over BMI. BMI does NOT take into account fat vs. muscle. Basicaly think of a baseball and a beachball; the beach ball weighs less but is bigger while the baseball weighs more but is smaller; basicaly the baseball is muslce and the beach ball is fat in this example.

    Athletic Body Fat Percentage (Female)- 13-18%
    Fitness- 19-24%
    Acceptable- 25- 31%
    High Risk- 32% and up

    I hope this helps everyone!

    Comment by Vanessa — February 1, 2009 #

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