The Effect of a Targeted Training Session on High School Dance Team Dancers' Eleve Performance and Endurance

Background: The prevalence of adolescent students participating in high school dance teams is high. The inconsistency in experience levels and training methods increases this population's risk of injury. Eleve is a common movement in many forms of dance, and lower leg endurance is vital for proper alignment and stability in take-off, landing, and pirouettes. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a 20-minute conditioning program on lower leg endurance and ankle stability. Methods: Forty-two high school dance team students were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group for intervention. A single-leg eleve endurance test was administered to all participants before and after an eight-week intervention period. Researchers recorded the total number of completed elves without fault, with a maximum of 25 repetitions. For participants who did not reach the maximum range, the rationale behind stopping the test was also recorded: height/exhaustion, inversion, or eversion. The intervention group participated in a 20-minute Zoom-led conditioning program administered twice a week for eight weeks.