Ballet Technique: Why Your Favourite Dance Technique isn’t Working for You?
You’ve taken hundreds of classes, spent thousands on workshops and private lessons, and invested in the best equipment—foot stretchers, rubber bands, and accessories. Yet, you still struggle to execute multiple turns as effortlessly as that 10-year-old you saw on Instagram.
Frustrating? We get it. But here’s the thing: we have a solution. Keep reading.
How to Progress Quickly in Ballet Without Adding Hours of Training
We’ve got good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad.
You can’t. You can’t shortcut your way to success in ballet. “Quick” progress is a myth.
Ballet is not, and never has been about tricks, hacks, or quick fixes, because ballet requires your body to master movements that are inherently unnatural for the human anatomy. If someone promises you a magic trick, 5 “tips” or secret “hacks”, it’s either not true or these shortcuts only worked for them. And chances are – it won’t work for you.
Now, the good news: when you master the fundamentals of Proper Ballet Technique (which we’ll explain in this blog), you will improve. That’s our promise.
We’re not saying you’ll magically execute 10 pirouettes overnight. Ballet is more complex than that. But by following the principles we’ll share, you’ll build strength, improve stability and “balance”, and feel secure in the center. You’ll gain control of your body, dramatically reduce your risk of injury, and most importantly, understand why your turns aren’t working – and how to fix them.
Why is the Technique Essential for a Ballet Dancer
Dancers often assume that classical dance technique stifles artistry, fearing that too much focus on it will limit their artistic expression. In reality, the opposite is true.
Proper technique is your chance to be the most expressive, graceful dancer you can be. Why?
Proper ballet training trains your muscles to work in your favor, on autopilot – so you no longer have to think about them. A stable and secure foundation allows you to move freely without fear of losing balance or risking injury. Yes, proper ballet technique frees you to be the most expressive dancer you can be.
Ask yourself this: where do you feel more confident and expressive—on thin ice that could crack any second, or in a warm ballet studio with a solid floor beneath you?
Proper technique is your safety net and literally a springboard for expression. Without it, you’ll be stuck doing only what your body feels safe doing, unable to explore your full potential. And so will your choreographer.
Remember: lack of technique is your enemy that will prevent you from doing the things you want to do, and limit your dance and choreography only to the movements you are capable of doing.
What Technique Should a Ballet Dancer Follow?
At this point we understand your confusion. There are already multiple ballet methods, styles and techniques (Vaganova Method, Balanchine, RAD, Progressing Ballet Technique, Russian Ballet, French Ballet etc), even more teachers on social media sharing tips and teaching expensive private classes. And you are wondering, which one to choose?
The answer is simple – choose what works. And here’s what do we mean by this.
If a teacher or method claims that what they offer is correct – look at the dancers. Are all of them amazing? Every single one?
It is not difficult to find and showcase a naturally gifted young dancer with ideal predispositions and perfect anatomy, who makes multiple pirouettes or shows beautiful extensions effortlessly. But is every dancer following this teaching this good? As we all know – no, it’s not.
In our opinion, the right technique is the technique that will work for every single dancer, because it’s rooted in a deep understanding of human anatomy and body mechanics. A method that works should improve every dancer – not just the exceptionally talented ones.
Young Ballerina Doing 10 Turns vs Professional Dancer Barely Doing 2
Let’s address the elephant in the room: why does that young girl manage 10 flawless pirouettes, while professional dancers with decades of training struggle with two? We owe you an explanation here.
If you think logically, there’s no way a young dancer in 5 years of ballet training acquired more technique and knowledge than a mature dancer who has trained for 2 or 3 decades. So why are their turns amazing, and yours aren’t?
The answer lies in anatomy – specifically, bone structure and muscle alignment.
When you watch dancers who execute multiple turns effortlessly, you’ll notice they have almost nothing in common. They all do it differently, they hold their arms differently, they hold legs differently. Literally there’s almost nothing that their pirouettes have in common.
Almost – because if you look closely, you’ll notice they all share one critical element: their neck and foot stay perfectly in axis. That’s it. That’s the secret. Their muscles don’t pull them off balance with every turn, unlike most of us.
“That’s great, but how does that apply to me? I don’t have their bone structure and anatomy, so looks like there’s nothing I can do”
Here’s the great part: no, you can’t change your bones (thanks God!), but you can change what’s around them: your muscles. You can literally reshape your muscles so that they will keep your body in axis. All the time!
This is what we want to teach you (so make sure to subscribe to our blog). And it’s why we created our leotards – not just as another style option, but as tools to help you align your body and master your technique.
That was our mission from the beginning: to make leotards that improve technique.
How to Improve Your Ballet Technique
In this blog section of Art Cassé we will be sharing our findings and our Ballet Technique knowledge. We’ll share insights and methods to help you “rebuild” your body for proper alignment and balance
As we mentioned, the key to progress is strengthening your muscles – from the balls of your feet to your shoulders – and ensuring they work together hand in hand, as one mechanism. Because once it work, once all the muscles are properly connected to each other, there’s simply no way you won’t improve.
Does this mean starting from scratch with “yet another ballet method”? Absolutely not. You already have the muscles you need. Our goal is to help you engage them in ways that truly serve you. Bit by bit, screw by screw, we’ll fine-tune your body like a Swiss clock – ensuring everything works efficiently and effectively. And most importantly – we will help you understand the mechanics and logic of proper ballet technique, so you’ll be able to develop faster and fix your own mistakes.
No more guessing games.
These same principles extend to pirouettes. By focusing on core engagement and maintaining alignment, dancers will achieve smoother turns with greater control.
Where to Begin
While we prepare more in-depth guides, check our leotards.
No, they will not magically make you nail multiple turns as soon as you put them on, but they are designed to engage your core – which is the most critical, the most important, and an absolute foundation of proper classical ballet technique.
Our promise
We’ve seen this method work time and again, and we’re confident it’ll work for you too. Don’t just take our word for it. Download our Free Proper Placement Checklist and try it yourself.
If following the checklist doesn’t immediately (and we mean immediately) make you feel more stable and stronger, you can ignore everything we teach. But if you do feel the difference (and we’re 100% certain you will, so long you follow the steps in this checklist in that very specific order), you’ll know you’re on the right path to finally mastering ballet technique, once and for all.
See you soon!