46 replies to this topic

[Hans]

They have less flesh and bone but also less muscle, which makes it more difficult to jump and beat.  Also, men tend to be taller, and taller people can usually jump higher (there's a physical reason for this, but at the moment I forget exactly what it is).  There are plenty of exceptions to the statements above (Sizova can jump like a gazelle) but generally, that's how it goes, I think.  This also holds true in partnering--you'd think that the really thin girls would be the easiest to lift, but they're not because they have no muscle with which to jump, thereby aiding the lift.  It's the muscular girls (coordination also makes a big difference) who are easier to lift because they can jump by themselves--you just have to augment what they can already do and slow their descent.  

Ok, I have gone really off-topic here, but I hope it helps .  Maybe I should start a new thread?

[R S Edgecombe]

That's very interesting, Hans. I wonder why tall men jump better than tall women. You would think that the same physiognomy made for the same kind of talent. Could it be that female jarrete dancers tend to have low twitch muscle fibre? Strangely enough, jumping was the only thing I could do well (I am 6 ft 2 inches)--everything else was mediocre to disastrous, esp pirouettes to the left. But my jump started to desert me in my mid thirties and I can now barely get off the ground. Gwendolen, my cat, who jumps well but lands heavily, is TOTALLY contemptuous of my efforts!