Hello.........

I'm in beginning bronze (dancing 5 months)and will be doing a showcase on the 23rd of this month. The routine is a choreographed Tango, with some fun moves that are above my level. I have noticed that I sometimes have balance problems when transitioning from one step to another. I have been working with a personal trainer to increase core strength for the last 5 weeks....but am still losing my balance enough to kill my confidence. I don't lose balance when dancing in street shoes or barefoot.........jsut my dance shoes. I have tried several different pairs, including those with ankle straps for more support. I love the flexibility of dance soes.......and I'm not sure the shoes are my problem or if it's something else. I'm open to any suggestions to improve my balance. Thank You.

Its obviously your shoes. With no rise or fall in Tango. No sway. How are you in your stocking feet. Do you lose balance there. You wouldn't be the first girl to have bought a pair of shoes that have the heel in the wrong place.

I don't lose my balance in my stocking feet. or even in street shoes.......but I can't turn in street shoes.......

Alot of people looses their balance because of their posture. If the stomache is not working the hips, knees,and feet are not aligned properly. You are using your feet to hold up all of your blocks instead of your core making your steps really work. Hope it helps.

Hi LisaMarie,

I love to read your posts because it seems like you are going through the same things I am....

I have only been taking lessons for a year, and certainly there are so many instructors and wonderful dancers on this site who can help you much better than I. But for what it's worth, I had a smooth lesson today, and I was losing my balance from time to time. My instructor told me that whenever it happened, I was not getting my body weight solidly over my foot before I moved to the next step. It's that old anticipation thing, being too much in a hurry to go to the step after the one I am executing. Then my upper body would move to try to catch up to my lower half, and I lost balance.

But this wouldn't seem to be your problem if you are not having any trouble with balance in other shoes.

I was given this excercice which is only two steps. I consider it to be one of the most important thing I was ever told. It doesn't matter which style of dancing you are doing. Where I learnt this was in a Latin Class. This is how it was explained. Standing two paces in front of a chair. I was told to take a step on my left foot and step on my right foot and sit down which I did as a normal person would. And that was on the second step I had already turned. As a dancer we don't do it that way. As a dancer we step left then right and then turn at the end of the second step giving it an and count. In Latin the turn over the right foot will be with the whole of the foot in contact with the floor. Try it now on a Spot Turn. Or after a Hip Twist going to the Fan position on beat three. And again in the Hockey Stick on step five which is again beat three. If your not into Latin just practice a step forward, followed by another step and then turn only after the step is in place Then freeze, or as they say in gymnastics Stick it. Do it on both sides. You probably never saw the original Japanese film "Shall we Dance " If you did you might remember the actor who played the comedy roll practicing these sharp turns in the office passage way .Good Luck

Thank You so much to everyone that has responded to my post. I practiced my showcase number today and paid close attention to what I was doing with my feet and body. I practiced in both bare feet and the shoes that I will be wearing in the showcase. I did much better without the shoes...........I tried on a couple of my other ballroom shoes and paid attention to how I felt in them........which is wobbly.......I think I just don't yet feel secure and supported in ballroom shoes. My shoes do have ankle straps.

By reading the posts, my attention was brought to some other issues with my dancing and balance problems. I do notice that I don't always work form my core........sometimes it is my feet that are trying to do all the work. I also noticed that I don't put my weight fully over my foot. These are all things my teacher has mentioned to me........but usually during a lesson, there is SOOOOOO much information given that I don't recall all of it. So by reading the posts and then working through my dance today.....I think I have been able to figure out why I'm having these balance issues. I think I noticed them more in this showcase dance because much of the dance is performed out of the closed postition. I will be trying to be more aware of where my weight is and using my core instead of worrying about my feet. I will also be trying the suggested exercise. Thank you all!

Singndance.........it's good to know there are other new dancers out there that share the same issues and frustrations. Sometimes I think I'm the only one and that my instructor must think I'm hopeless!

I also had balance problems and always felt my shoes had something to do with it... when I switched to 3" heels (from 2"), my balance improved quite a bit, especially when doing turns (I think I am more "on top of my leg" with the higher heels). I changed brands too so the new shoes may have been more balanced.

Also, make sure you're not collapsing your chest when doing challenging moves. Correcting that problem had a big impact on my balance!

Good luck!

Serendipity, thank you so much for suggesting this exercise. I tried this and I think it will help!

5lisamarie.There is a lot more that can be done.To dance from foot to foot is most important. But if we are going to simulate that action with a practice piece we need to be sure that we do it correctly. If this is a Waltz and we practice just Change Steps. Right foot forward. Left foot under the body. Can you take the left foot off the floor. If you can you have transfered your weight correctly. But is there something missing. If you have raised your left foot with the right knee still straight . Thats not how we dance. The knee needs to be flexed and would you believe if you were a top dancer it would be at an angle of 45 degrees. Then at the end of step one you would commence to rise as your left foot goes to the side on the toe for step two. And just to make life harder, as the lady going backwards on step one with the LF she still bends the knee after arriving but does not have foot rise NFR If she does she will beat the man and take his centre away, especiall if this is the first three of a Natural. All of the above just to say make your practice steps exactly as you need to when dancing. You will find that creating a low centre of gravity does helps.That's what bending the knee does. Put a DVD in slow motion or frame by frame. You will be amazed how low to the floor these top dancers go. And keep dancing from foot to foot, dont get stuck in the middle. I hope this helps.Good Luck