What is alignment in dance

Dance posture requires more aesthetic energy and presence than relaxed standing, and so generally involves more muscle activation. The body dynamically changes its position in multiple planes.

Skilled dancers need to manage their dynamic alignment and return to neutral quickly, preserving the body’s natural integrity (1).

What is strength in dance

If a body is able to assume good basic alignment, then stylistic preferences can be overlaid on this foundation (2). Different styles may require aesthetic adjustments to the neutral base. In each style, the most efficient way of performing the vocabulary should be identified.

If dancers or dance leaders are not aware of ways in which their genre-specific placement can be safely achieved and if, or how, it may deviate from recommended neutral alignment, then they will not be able to regulate its effects.

All dance practitioners need to understand how forces are distributed through the body in their own style. Providing detailed descriptions on the appropriate alignment in every possible dance style is beyond the scope of this article, but some examples in t

exercises to improve alignment in dance

examples of alignment in dance