Practice does make perfect! use these everyday exercises to improve your balance and dancing.
By Judith Taber, PT
Issue: October 2000

Have you ever wondered why one side of your body is better balanced than the other and why you turn better to one side? We all tend to stand on one leg more often and usually turn to the opposite side. Naturally, you are more skilled at doing what you have practiced most, but there is some good news: Your less stable side and overall balance can be improved with a few simple exercises.

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the mind-body connection

We constantly and imperceptibly move to adjust our balance. The brain receives sensory information about slight imbalances from the inner ear, the nervous system and the eyes. Your inner ear tells the brain how the head is positioned in relation to gravity. Nervous system sensors report joint pressures, muscle tensions and where body parts are in relation to one another just as our eyes tell the brain where the body is in relation to its surroundings. To adjust balance, the brain sends commands to muscles, altering muscle tension and restoring upright body position. When minimal muscle power is needed to maintain posture, the body is well balanced. This is because your weight is equally distributed around your center of gravity in the lower back and your head is positioned so your eyes are parallel to the floor. While dancing, we maintain the appearance of balance by making very quick, minute adjustments at our ankles, and/or knees and hips, as well as by suppressing the natural reaction to step and reach.

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get balanced

Balance exercises increase the sensitivity of sensors in the feet, ankles, hips and neck and sharpen posture. They also increase strength and speed up the body's response to balance loss. The goal is to maintain balance with little or no movement in your ankles, hips or any other body part.


1. Standing barefoot, gently draw up your arches and lightly press your toes down on the floor.


2. Center your body weight between your heel, big toe joint and little toe joint and through a relaxed but straight knee.


3. Lengthen your body up out of your joints.


4. Direct your vision to a spot at eye level. Focus on the target spot with an easy, relaxed gaze; do not tense your eyes by staring.


5. With eyes open and both hands on the barre, continue with one hand on your waist, then two hands; one hand at your side, then two hands; then both hands across your chest. When you get good at this, repeat the sequence with eyes closed.


6. Further challenge yourself by practicing on increasingly difficult, uneven surfaces like a mini-trampoline, rocker board or wobble board.


If you lose your balance, try to get it back with the least possible adjustment or by reaching out and/or lightly touching the barre. When you have regained balance, take your hand off the barre.

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Mini-Trampoline
1. Two-leg stand
2. One-leg stand
3. One-leg stand & rond de jambe

Wobble Board
1. Two-leg stand


2. Two-leg stand, circling body weight through your hips, knees and ankles


3. One-leg stand

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Rocker Board

1. Side-to-side weight shift
2. Forward/back weight shift