04 / Posture guide
Ballet Posture Exercises (No Barre Needed)
Ballet posture is built at the barre, but you don’t need one to train it. These five exercises use a chair or a kitchen counter and take about ten minutes.
Save this guide to Pinterest5 exercises, 10 minutes
- 01
Relevé rises
Stand tall with one hand resting on a counter, feet parallel. Rise slowly onto the balls of your feet, pause, and lower with control. Two sets of fifteen. This strengthens ankles and calves and teaches you to lift up through the whole body.
TipKeep your weight over the big and second toes, not rolling to the outside.
- 02
Pliés
Feet slightly turned out, heels together or hip-width. Bend your knees over your toes while keeping your spine tall and your tailbone dropping, then straighten. Two sets of ten. The trick is to go down without leaning forward.
- 03
Tendus
Standing tall, slide one foot forward along the floor until only the tip of the toe touches, then slide it back. Front, side and back, eight each, both legs. Your standing leg and your posture must stay completely still.
TipIf your hips move when your foot moves, make the movement smaller.
- 04
Port de bras
Stand in your tall posture. Slowly lift your arms in front of you to shoulder height, then overhead in a soft round shape, then open them to the side and lower. Four slow rounds. Your shoulders must stay down the whole time.
- 05
Balance hold
Rise onto the balls of your feet, let go of the counter and hold. Aim for 20 seconds with your crown lifted and your ribs closed. Three rounds. This pulls every ballet posture habit together.
Why ballet exercises build posture
Ballet trains your body to be long and stable at the same time. Every exercise asks you to move one part while the rest stays still and tall. That is exactly what good posture in real life needs: staying aligned while your legs walk, your arms carry things and your head turns.
These exercises also work the small muscles around the ankles, hips and spine that hold your posture without you thinking about it.
Use the five ballet posture habits
These exercises train the same five cues as ballet posture secrets: lift the crown, close your ribs, pull up don’t tense, lengthen the tailbone and stand on a tripod. Before each exercise, set up those five cues. During it, check that you have kept them.
A weekly plan
- Three times a week: the full ten-minute routine.
- Every day: one set of relevé rises while the kettle boils.
- Every time you wait: stand on your tripod and lift the crown.
You don’t need turnout, flexibility or dance experience. Keep the movements small, slow and controlled, and let your posture be the focus rather than the height of your leg.
Take it into your walk
Dancers walk differently because their posture comes with them. After a week, walk across a room with the feeling of the balance hold: long, light and calm. Then read good posture while walking to keep it on the move. These are general fitness exercises; see a physiotherapist if anything hurts.
Questions
Can I do these without any dance experience?
Yes. Keep the movements small and slow, hold on to a counter and focus on posture rather than how far your leg goes.
How often should I do them?
Three times a week for the full routine, plus a few relevé rises on other days, is a good start.
Common mistakes
- Lifting the shoulders when the arms go up.
- Leaning forward in pliés.
- Forcing turnout from the feet instead of the hips.
- Gripping the counter instead of lightly touching it.
- Holding your breath during the balance.
Not medical advice. If you have pain, numbness or an injury, see a physiotherapist before you start.
Défilé · Posture score
Film a walk after a week of these and see your posture score.
Film a walk and Défilé scores it out of 100, shows you the one thing holding it back and gives you a short drill to fix it. Your video never leaves your phone.
On Android? Défilé is coming soon to Google Play.
