I think you all have theorized this issue enough. Can we all just get on the dance floor and start another discussion?. The best response to students with a slouch is to say "Stand up straight!!", the muscles (whichever they are) will take over and improve on their own.
owendancer

"I think you all have theorized this issue enough. Can we all just get on the dance floor and start another discussion?. The best response to students with a slouch is to say "Stand up straight!!", the muscles (whichever they are) will take over and improve on their own.
owendancer"

Problem is it doesn't work. Even many championship dancers have poor posture and misaligned spines when you see them out of costume.

For a beginner who slouches, that's true. But it isn't really enough as you advance.

Depending on how long you've slouched, it may be "built in" to your muscles, so that there is great resistance (and pain) involved in trying to really change posture.

And some concepts of standing up straight, like military posture, aren't right for ballroom.

To really make a change in posture, things like yoga and pilates, as well as re-alignment techniques like Alexander and Feldenkrais, can be very helpful.

"And some concepts of standing up straight, like military posture, aren't right for ballroom"

My guess is that a dance teacher and a drill sergeant could find examples of posture that they both agreed are excellent for their purposes, however what they usually end up creating may not be suitable for each others purposes at all.

Anonymous. Your right about a military posture.We were told chest out stomach in shoulders back, chin up, feet at 45 degrees. If your into Latin the feet aren't to bad. But chest out shoulders back should have been shoulders down and a broad back and small front.That's for ballroom. I agree with Owen when he wrote just stand up straight.

"Anonymous. Your right about a military posture.We were told chest out stomach in shoulders back, chin up, feet at 45 degrees. If your into Latin the feet aren't to bad. But chest out shoulders back should have been shoulders down and a broad back and small front.That's for ballroom. I agree with Owen when he wrote just stand up straight."

The words do not always accurately describe what is ultimately wanted. If you see students/cadets at a stage where they are doing the words rather than the ultimate goal, you may see big differences in the kinds of mistakes they are making. For example, you see cadets with their chest forward and their rear sticking out... mistake, but one tolerated in that setting for a while. And you see dance students trying to keep their front 'small' - also a mistake, but one tolerated for a while while trying to build the idea of a broad back. With further development, both will correct these - those who don't accomplish further development will go around thinking that what they learned to do is the goal.