Hi,

What is the ideal weight for a female ballroom dancer.

I am 5'7" and weigh 130. I don't diet now. I feel great + look good on tapes dancing in comps. I'm healthy in "real life" but am thinking I might want to get a little thinner for ballroom...

Any thoughts? Do world class professionals strive to keep at a certain weight?

What about body fat %? Are there any other measurements that are important?

Grazie!!!

If your feet can fully support you, you can maintain good posture, and look good in a costume you should be okay.

I was 5'7" and 128 pounds, and found that after dancing on a regular basis (a couple of hours, a couple of times a week), 10 pounds just fell off me with no effort, and I've been this size ever since.

I saw a very slim young lady competing once, and she was unable to finish her five dances. She looked as though she had dieted for the comp, and just didn't have the energy and stamina. I think strength and fitness are more important than size, especially since you are comfortable and feel healthy with yourself as you are.

I don't know much about % body fat, sorry.

All the best,

Lee Ann

I'm HUGE for a ballroom dancer and yet have had a reasonably succesful amateur competitive career dancing against people younger and much thinner than myself (for reference, I wear a size 14, but used to be as large as an 18).

Most of the used dresses I see for sale fall into the 4-6-8 range, so if you can wear any of these sizes you are doing fine and should just focus on your fitness level rathern than on how much you weigh. And heck, if you're larger, like me, don't stress yourself out about it. Just focus on being strong and healthy and being able to dance all five dances full-out without collapsing at the end :)