Weight over the balls of your feet in dance? how??

Question

OK,all my dance teachers say "keep your weight on the balls of your feet when you stand". i try to do that, but my body wants to either rock forward or go up on releve... is it just a matter of leaning forward??

Answer 1

Basically, yes, to a small degree...You should have most of your weight on the balls of the feet, which is not the same as being on your toes, or obviously leaning forward.

Answer 2

Don't lean forward. My teacher tells us to dig our toes into the ground (well kind of). THINK LIGHT! It will be easier if you pull up, trust me. Basically, it's like being ready to take off running in a split second, but it's hard to explain.

Answer 3

Yes, maybe a little. It's all about finding your centre of gravity. If you have access to a Nintendo Wii you could try playing on the Wii Fit board and game as it can help your balance by pin-pointing how far you stand off your centre of gravity.

Answer 4

You shouldn't rock forward when you put your weight on the ball of your foot if you're turning out from your hips. Your heel also doesn't have to be off the ground for your center of gravity to be more toward the ball of your foot. Just try not to sink into your heels because that takes away from the lightness of your dancing and makes transitioning even harder. Practice by shifting your weight from foot to foot but not lifting either foot off the ground. Then do the same thing with one foot, but shift your weight from your heel to the ball.