Tip # 2 for Ballet - Balance

 We have discussed how important it is to stretch out and look like you are growing in ballet, but that can only be done in various positions and with various movements if the body is in a state of dynamic equilibrium. 

This means, ballet can only be done properly with balance. Notice how similar the words ballet and balance are. These two ideas are truly intertwined. 

When I mentioned dynamic equilibrium in relation to balance, it really is the best description. Your body in any position should be balanced and flexible, so it could potentially move in any direction with any amount of energy. This gives your body power, as well as your mind. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be a great feeling to know that you are not constrained? You could potentially move in any direction. How freeing is that. 

The phrase dynamic equilibrium was introduced to me in the form of a story by my acting teacher. A tall actor, once upon a time, was having trouble with losing his voice after performance. He determined that it was because his body was out of line, and the vocal chords and supporting muscles were strained. He resolved to put his body in line, with his head over his shoulders, his shoulders over his hips, and his hips over his feet. He wasn’t losing his voice anymore, and he realized that his performances were much more moving because he wasn’t wasting excess energy on an out-of-alignment body. He was able to take that energy and put it into his performance.

This is also true with dancing. When you aren’t wasting excess energy, that energy can be put into expression; which after all, isn’t beauty and expression the reason we create art in the first place?