What You'll Learn
- Why human biomechanics and natural walking tendencies make ballet balance difficult.
- How to create vertical opposition through specific posture and alignment cues.
- The role of rotational force in the hips for achieving center stability.
- Practical tips for turning off natural movement habits to improve stillness.
About This Video
Have you ever wondered why finding your center in ballet feels like a constant battle against gravity? It is a common frustration for dancers of all levels, and the reason is simpler than you might think: you are human. In this Broche Ballet quick tip, we dive into the biomechanics of balance and how to reprogram your body for the stage.
Our legs are naturally designed for locomotion—specifically moving forward and backward. This evolutionary trait is perfect for walking and running, but it makes the stillness required in a relevé or an arabesque incredibly challenging. When we stand in the center, away from the support of the barre, our bodies naturally want to default to those forward and backward patterns, leading to the dreaded wobble.
To achieve true stability, we must learn to counteract these human tendencies by engaging specific physical forces. The first key is understanding vertical forces. In ballet, balance is not a static state but an active opposition of energy.
You must simultaneously reach up and push down. To find this, think of your alignment in terms of specific cues: keep your ears up, your shoulders down, your stomach up, your kneecaps pulled up, and your toes firmly pressed down into the floor. This vertical stretching creates a solid central axis that resists the urge to tip.
The second key is rotational force. This is where your turnout and hip engagement come into play. By engaging the rotational muscles in your hips, you create a secondary force that works in tandem with your vertical alignment.
This spiraling energy provides the lateral stability that our human walking gait lacks. It provides an anchor, allowing you to sustain positions longer and with more confidence. At Broche Ballet, we believe that mastering technique starts with understanding how your body works.
By consciously turning off your natural walking habits and replacing them with these specialized vertical and rotational forces, you can find a level of security in the center that you never thought possible.
