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How to Get the Correct Posture in Ballet

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Ballet is a form of dance. There are three types of ballet, which are classical ballet, contemporary ballet and neoclassical ballet. The names of the movements and positions are based off of French terminology. The same way learning is fundamental, the same can be said about ballet. It is the foundation of all dance forms.


  1. 1
    Gain knowledge about the types of ballet.
    • Classical ballet is the first type of ballet created. It is usually performed with a ballet slipper or pointed shoe. Its origin is from the Italian Renaissance courts of the fifteenth and sixteenth century. It spread to the court of Catherine De’ Medici. It was then more developed. Louis XIV founded the Academie Royale de Danse (Royal Academy of Dance). It was later altered to a concert form of dance in France and Russia. This ballet is extremely technical form of dance.
    • Neoclassical ballet obeys both classical techniques in ballet vocabulary. On the other hand, it strays away from classical ballet because it usually has fast tempos. The spacing in neoclassical ballet is more modern based than classical ballet. The unique structures define neoclassical ballet.
    • Contemporary ballet has been influenced by a combination of classical ballet and modern. It requires the technique of classical ballet, but allows a greater range of movement. It allows you to freely move without the strict body lines or turnouts.
      • A turnout is the natural rotation of your hips causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the center of the body. This ballet is usually done barefoot. George Balanchine is considered to be the founder of contemporary ballet.
  2. 2
    Lie on the floor with your back against the floor.
    • Place the bottoms of your feet together (Your legs should form a diamond shape).
    • Without titling your head back, look straight up at the ceiling. (Focus on getting your knees to touch the ground. This will work on your turnout. Your turnout is a rotation of the leg, which comes from the hips, causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the center of your body. You lay on the floor to work on your turnout because gravity makes it easier for your knees to push against the floor. You will get a better stretch.)
  3. 3
    Adjust to a Straight Spine.
    • Choose the hand of your choice.
    • With the palm of that hand facing the floor, place it in the space beneath the middle of you back, but above your tailbone. (That is the natural arch of your back)
    • As you continue to push your knees towards the floor, try not to make the arch of your back any larger. (You want to do this because once you stand up you will want to eliminate that arch. In ballet you want to have a straight, flat back.)
  4. 4
    Push your belly button into the floor.
    • With the hand of your choice, still positioned, imagine being able to push your belly button into the floor. (The goal is to continue pushing your knees towards the floor while your back is flat against the floor.This is the position you want to aim for when you stand up. Because the floor hard it is giving you something to brace yourself against, helping you do get a straight alignment in your back. Get familiar with the feeling you get in your stomach and in your back.)
  5. 5
    Stand up straight
    • Stand up sideways next to a mirror.
    • When you stand sideways next to a mirror it allows you to look over your shoulder and adjust your upper body to the position it had on the floor. (You want to aim for the feeling you felt in your stomach and in your lower back, on the floor.)
  6. 6
    Stand in first position.
    • If your feet are not already in a parallel position, put your feet side by side.
    • Lift your toes from the ground and move your feet out so that your heels are touching. (You are to move from your hips and not from your knees.Rotating from your knees means you are forcing your first position and you can help yourself. Your first position is also your natural turnout.)
  7. 7
    Push your tailbone down.
    • As you are still facing sideways, next to a mirror, notice your natural arch in your back.
    • Move your tailbone down pointing towards the floor. (The goal is to have a flat back. Your buttocks’ muscles may feel slightly tightened, but they need to be tightened to allow you tailbone more room to point towards the floor. You do not want to hunch over while straightening you spinal chord through elongating you tailbone.)
  8. 8
    Tighten your abs.
    • Tighten your abdominal muscles. (They help you to support your spinal chord.)
  9. 9
    Drop Your Shoulders.
    • Push your shoulders back and lift your chest up towards the ceiling as oppose to out towards the wall.
    • Imagine your shoulders with unbearable weights on them and then drop your shoulders.
  10. 10
    Hold your chin high.
    • Lift your chin slightly so that your head is not facing down. (Do not lift your entire head to the ceiling because after a while your neck will begin to hurt and it is also incorrect.You are only to do that if a choreographer tells you to.)

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