“Stand up straight, shoulders down”
“Grow taller, imaginary string lifting you up through the top of your head”
“Tail bone down, lift your abdominals”
These are some of the cues you hear Miss Katie call out in the studio during class! Each of these cue concepts are meant to improve our ballet posture during movement, in and out of the classroom.
Posture, how our body is positioned for movement, applies to everything as simple as walking and standing to the most complicated of ballet combinations across the studio floor. Our body’s stature and alignment informs how we move, and for ballet the very specific alignment of shoulders down, neck long, head lifted, abdominal muscles pulled in and up, back straight, tailbone down, are an essential foundational layer for all movement and choreography. Not only will movement not look aesthetically accurate without this proper posture in place, but the movement actually won’t function or be executed properly without posture and alignment at work, it’s that essential! In order for ballerinas to move in their graceful, complex dancing, they must have lovely ballerina posture.
Additionally, posture is a wonderful element to add to your every day life! Using all 6 of the above baller posture elements in your daily routine will be beneficial for your back, neck, lungs and breathing, & abdominal strength. These are great things to improve whether we’re sitting in school or kicking a soccer ball on the field! Try taking the 6 posture items and applying them to your daily routine and stance.
Finally, ballerinas exude confidence when they are on the stage doing what they love most, dancing their hearts out! Good posture and healthy body alignment screams out confidence with our own skin, and this should happen in our daily lives just as much as in ballet class. We need to love the body we’ve been given and use it optimally. Be confident and stand tall, you are strong and beautiful!
Watch these clips for some great examples of ballerina posture in action:
Swan Lake ballet (fast forward video to 2:40)