Having good balance is a MUST HAVE in the dance world. One wrong move and your balance can be thrown off. This can lead to catastrophes on stage. Not only do you mess up the dance but it can interfere with the dancers around you. The show must go on but the audience will never forget your unfortunate fumble.

Balance is a key part of any dance move and it can be frustrating when you cannot get a step because of the lack of balance. Long turns can be a statement in a dance piece and wow the audience when dancers do them very cleanly, but turns require tremendous strength and balance. Dancers are always trying to find ways to make their dance stand out and it can be frustrating when you cannot do the moves to impress the audience. Working on balance and strengthening the muscles used to keep yourself upright can help acquire these skills. 

Teachers stress core strength as the key to balancing well. An exercise to build core strength that will help with balance is planks. Lying on your stomach, have your forearms on the mat, with your elbows close to your sides and tuck your toes under. Then contract abdominals, and lift your body off the floor. Make sure your body is in a straight line from head to toe and hold for 30 seconds to a minute. Doing this on your own a few times a week will help improve your balance.

I recommend some coordination exercises. Standing with your feet together rise up onto the balls of your feet and balance there. Try to hold it for as long as you can. This can help get the feeling of body and where your center of balance is. When you feel that becomes too easy, rise up onto the balls of your feet then close your eyes. It will feel different and show you how important vision is in dance. Spotting is a technique dancers use to keep a point of reference while turning. Practice using your vision to help you balance. 

What do you do to help you stay balanced during a dance? Do you have any balance tricks for certain skills?  Let me know in the comments below! Make sure you subscribe to my blog and head on over to my youtube channel and watch some of my videos. Share this post with your fellow dancers to help them with their balance too!