Core Alignment Made Simple
Teaching Stomach Placement in Classical Ballet: A Guide for Dance Teachers
In classical ballet, the way dancers use and position the stomach, the whole core, is central to both technique and artistry. Correct stomach placement doesn’t just create a clean line; it supports balance, turnout, posture, and freedom of movement. As a ballet teacher, helping your students understand this subtle but essential concept will elevate both their technique and performance quality.
This guide will give you effective language, imagery, teaching cues, and corrections to improve how you teach stomach positioning in ballet class.
Why Stomach Placement Matters in Ballet
The stomach is more than just “abs.” When used correctly, the core works as a 360° support system front, back, and sides working together to stabilize the spine and pelvis. This creates:
Better balance and turnout
Freedom in the arms and upper body
Support for jumps, turns, and balances
A harmonious line through the whole body
Without it, students may collapse, over-grip, or disconnect their movements, making ballet look heavy instead of effortless.
1. Use Language and Imagery That Connects
Words and images often make technique “click” for students. Instead of saying “hold your stomach in,” try these cues:
“Pull up, not in” – Teach students to lengthen through the torso, engaging upward toward the ribcage (without flaring ribcage) rather than sucking in tightly.
“Zipper up the front” – From the pubic bone to the sternum, imagine zipping up the front of the body to keep everything aligned.
Hands on exercise – Ask students to place one hand on their lower abs and the other on the abs in the middle of the rib cage. While gently pressing both areas down, have them imagine lifting the sides of their waist (hip bones and base of the ribs) away from each other, without flaring or gripping.
The above cues promote length, support, and control instead of held stiffness.
2. Practical Teaching Cues for Class
Integrate core placement naturally into barre and center work:
Before students begin an exercise, have them lightly place a hand below the navel to sense engagement without tension.
Use breathing drills: exhale to draw the stomach inward and upward, then keep some of that support while inhaling.
During pliés or relevés use cue words rather than full sentences: “Long, lifted stomach, zipper tummy etc.
When correcting, emphasize that stomach placement supports the back, turnout, and balance it’s not just about “flat abs.” This helps students connect to the why and gives them an opportunity to apply the correction more successfully on their own and across exercises.
3. Common Mistakes to Correct
Be mindful of these frequent errors:
1. Breath Holding
Mistake: Dancers sometimes hold their breath to “keep the stomach in.”
Why it’s a problem: Restricts movement, creates tension in the shoulders/neck, and makes balances and turns shaky.
Correction: Encourage breathing into the sides and back of the ribs while keeping a gentle core lift.
2. Collapsing the Ribcage
Mistake: Students “crunch” the ribs down to feel engaged.
Why it’s a problem: Shortens the torso, limits épaulement, and makes the movement heavy.
Correction: Teach the ribs to stay softly closed in front, but lifted away from the hips. Cue: “Close the front ribs, but keep them floating upward.” “Pull the base of your ribs down whilst keeping a lengthened torso”
3. Over-Flared Ribs
Mistake: The ribcage pushes forward while the stomach is pulled back.
Why it’s a problem: Breaks alignment and puts stress on the lower back.
Correction: Have dancers place one hand on their ribcage and one on their lower stomach, gently holding both in place as they lengthen upward. Cue: “Imagine your ribs knitting together while your spine grows tall.”
4. Crunching the Waist
Mistake: Students try to “engage” by squeezing or shortening the side waist.
Why it’s a problem: Blocks épaulement, restricts arm carriage, and prevents length in arabesque.
Correction Cue: “Keep space between your ribs and hips - imagine lifting the waistline upward.”
5. Isolating Instead of Integrating
Mistake: Treating stomach placement as separate from turnout, back placement, or upper body.
Why it’s a problem: Makes movements look disconnected and uncoordinated.
Correction: Remind dancers that the core supports everything. Cue: “Your stomach supports your back, your turnout, and even the length of your arms.”
6. Gripping Too Late
Mistake: Students “switch on” their stomach only when they reach the center or attempt pirouettes/jumps.
Why it’s a problem: Core support isn’t automatic yet, so they can’t maintain consistency.
Correction: Train them to find gentle, continuous engagement from the first plié at the barre. Cue: “Set your core from the very first movement, like tying your ballet ribbons you wouldn’t wait until the middle of class.” You could also have students check in their perfectly poised posture bodies before starting an exercise - just like checking in your baggage before flying on a plane!
7. Pelvis Disconnect
Mistake: Engaging the stomach while letting the pelvis tilt forward or backward.
Why it’s a problem: Breaks alignment and increases pressure on the lower back.
Correction: Cue: “Imagine your pelvis as a bowl of water - don’t spill it too far forward or back.”
Correcting these habits early prevents tension and helps students move with natural strength.
8. Connect Core Placement to Ballet Style
Proper stomach use is not just mechanical it’s artistic. Encourage students to see the connection between placement and expression:
A lifted core supports épaulement, giving the upper body grace and freedom.
Correct placement ensures the arms and legs look connected to the torso.
A strong yet supple core makes jumps, turns, and balances appear effortless and elegant.
By framing it as part of artistry, students will approach stomach placement as more than a technical correction it becomes part of their performance quality. This approach motivates students to want to do it and to remember to do it.. this autonomy is what we teachers are aiming for!
✨ A Teacher’s Summary Cue
To simplify everything in class, use this memorable line which is less wordy:
“Zip up and lift - long, lengthened, and free.”
Final Thoughts for Ballet Teachers
Teaching stomach placement in ballet is about balance - support without rigidity, strength with freedom. By using vivid imagery, practical exercises, and clear concise corrections (rather than wordy analogies), you’ll help students find a natural, lifted core that enhances every movement.
This approach not only improves their technique and alignment, but also unlocks the artistry that makes classical ballet timeless and breathtaking.