Análise qualitativa e estabilométrica em pessoas idosas praticantes e não praticantes de balé clássico

Abstract

Old age is accompanied by the loss of various physical and cognitive abilities. One of the degenerations that stands out is precisely that of balance, since there are changes in the sensory apparatus and more specifically in the vestibular system of these individuals, resulting in an increase in dizziness, vertigo and later abrupt falls, which consequently impairs the quality of life of the elderly. So, in order to highlight the importance of physical activities and understand the benefits that dance can have in maintaining balance for this public, more specifically classical ballet because it explores body control abundantly during classes, the following research analysed and compared the stabilometry of active elderly people who practiced and did not practice classical ballet, also addressing their experiences in ballet and dance with questions that questioned socially determined preconceptions for the elderly. This study is characterised as applied, exploratory and descriptive research, qualitative and quantitative in nature, with field research using stabilometric analysis and a semi-structured interview. It can be seen that, although the elderly people who were beginners in classical ballet had higher COP values and lower SE and VMQ values in the eyes-open condition, and better COP and SE values compared to the other group in the eyes-closed condition, it is not possible to see a significant difference compared to the group of elderly people who did not practice ballet. In general, the elderly people who started ballet reported greater confidence and stability when carrying out everyday activities that require some body control when compared to the responses obtained by the group of non-ballet practitioners.