Dancing Tips...On Body Posture

By Stanley McCalla, Dance Board member and examiner, National Champion and adjudicator

Dear Students,

Hope everything is well with you and that you are having a great time learning and improving your dancing.

If you intend to participate in the next regional or national competition, I would urge you to read this following tip, which could make a positive difference in your performance.

I am talking about the importance of using correct body posture, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced dancer, learning Rhythm, Smooth, Latin, Standard, or Theater Arts.

Good body carriage will enhance your balance and/or body rhythm. You will experience faster improvement and will be pleasantly viewed by your peers and any audience.

To me, posture translates to vertical alignment of the spine from the pelvis to the head. There should be a feeling of a straight line from the pelvis to the top of the skull. To achieve that, one must tone the muscles of the stomach in order to hold the pelvis under the body. The shoulders should be lined up with the rib cage and the hips. The seat bone should be pointed directly to the floor between the feet. Please note that the hip joints should remain relaxed. If they are tensed, there’s stiffness and if there’s rigidity, one cannot dance.

Before getting a lesson or practice, you should take a few minutes by yourself and put into practice the body alignment mentioned above. It’s probably a good idea to also talk to your teacher about it if you have any questions.

The above exercises work all the time when put in use… So don’t wait any longer and take the first step toward improving your dancing.

Until next time, happy dancing!