Body placement and alignment are the key to good technique. Whether it's at the bar or across the floor, our success in exercises is often determined by our body alignment. Correct alignment and placement allow our bodies to do things we never thought we'd be able to. They're also something we have to constantly think about and find in our body. We have to continually remember; the head should be lifted and the neck long. The ribs pulled together and lifted up. The hips under the ribs and the legs working turnout from the top. When we get to the feet we have to find not only the balance of working our turnout without over rotating but also putting our weight in the right place. Although it's a lot to think about, it's better on our bodies, makes our dancing beautiful, and helps us achieve whatever we're working on.

Personally, I struggle with proper alignment and placement everywhere in my body but especially in my shoulders, turnout, and feet. My shoulder blades stick out giving the appearance that I'm always slouching. This means that I must work to stand extra straight and fight to keep my shoulders low while working with my arms. Along with standing extra straight I have to make sure that means lifting in my rib cage and pulling my ribs together rather and poking them out. I once had a ballet teacher tell me to feel like someone had sown my ribs together, this was very helpful and a teaching I try to remember. In my turnout I tend to clench my buttocks rather than working with the deep rotators so I have to work to relax my those muscles, and work the rotators. One of the things I struggle with the most is not letting my weight fall back. I used to have a teacher that after an exercise would go around and push you; although I didn't love this it always made me realize where my weight was and where it should have been. Now when I feel myself rocking back on my heels I think about her pushing me and try to get my weight centered.

Ultimately, body alignment and placement is just one of the many aspects of work in ballet. It requires great attention, determination, and perseverance, but if you keep working eventually your body does what you want. For me, this is one of my favorite parts of ballet, when I finally master my body and have that great sense of accomplishment from doing something right. This success is something we constantly have to fight for, even after we've achieved it, but when it comes it makes it worth all the work.