Effect of Dance on Body Type: A Study on Adult Bengalee Female in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

Due to the economic development in Indian society, most people are experiencing a sedentary lifestyle and least physical exercise, which is responsible for the increase in various health issues. Exercise plays a great role in maintaining our health, and dancing is an enjoyable exercise which involves various body movements to stay fit and maintain the body shape. The present study attempted to find out the differences in body types between female dancers and non-dancers used as a control group. Out of total 140 female participants aged 18–40 years, 70 were dancers and the remaining 70 were age-matched controls. Heath and Carter’s method of somatotyping was used to estimate the somatotypes of dancers and controls. Dancers and controls differed significantly (t-test, p