Alignment Principles
If you’re studying Dance as a school subject you need to demonstrate correct alignment and body placement as essential skills of dance technique in your practical performances.  But, you must also have a good theoretical grasp of its concepts so that you can show your understanding in other forms of class work and assessment (log book, viva voce, written exams etc).  I hope to clarify some of the key vocab related to alignment for you. 
Firstly, lets go back to some basic terms.  The pull of gravity is the primary reason why alignment is so important for safe dance practice.  The dancing body constantly exploits- and resists- the force of gravity.  For example, modern dance pioneer Doris Humphrey saw the moment of dance as that instant between two positions when you fall and recover from gravity. 
As gravity pulls you towards earth’s centre, it gives your body weight proportional to your individual body mass.  Your musculo-skeletal system provides a structural support to keep you upright and your body is supported by a point of contact with the ground, which forms your base of support.  As you dance- altering your body base- your weight shifts.  The place where all your weight becomes most heavily concentrated is the place where gravity acts most on the body and is termed your centre of gravity.  If this heavier centre is aligned over a base of support, the body can be supported in equilibrium.  The directional pull of gravity on your body can be represented by an imaginery straight line called the line of gravity which runs through your centre of gravity perpendicular to the ground.  These three concepts form the basis of alignment. 
‘Alignment’ is most often defined in curriculum syllabuses as “the relationship of the skeleton to the line of gravity and the base of support”.  This refers to the positioning of anatomical structures above supporting body part(s) and the angles created between your body segments and the ground.  For ideal alignment, your bones (rather than the muscles) should carry most of your body weight whereby the line of gravity pulls downward through the joints of the base of support along the vertical axis- in other words, each body part should be properly balanced over the part below it.  Misaligned body parts are more susceptible to gravitational force, becoming loaded with excess tension.  If anatomical structures are continually misaligned, muscular imbalances can develop between the working and opposing groups and overstretching of ligaments can occur; increasing the risk of injuries such as dislocations, strains and sprains.        In correct standing posture, the line of gravity runs down through the central axis of the body and the centre of gravity is in the core of the pelvis.  This position requires the least amount of effort by the muscles.  The further away from the line of gravity that your body parts move, the greater the muscle effort required.  So, correct alignment is also necessary to ensure that movement is performed with ease and efficient use of energy.
But as a dancer, you rarely stand still!  Modern dance allows you to contract, tilt, twist, flex, rotate and extend your torso and limbs in a whole range of diverse and unique bodily postures and alignments.  You perform movements on and off your centre of gravity and with a high and low centre of gravity.  Your centre of gravity depends on your individual body type and type of movements performed- you also have a unique characteristic natural alignment which needs consideration. As such, it is necessary to be aware of your own body’s limitations, its shape and anatomical structure and your natural movement habits so that any problems can be counteracted. 
Alignment is not static- it is dynamic.  Generally, there are “rules” to help you achieve proper dynamic alignment.  Particular attention should be placed on safe aligning of the head, shoulder girdle, spine, pelvic girdle, hip, knee and ankle joints and the feet.  These are principles of alignment and some are outlined the checkbox. 
Performing an alignment analysis of your technique can help you identify and fix problems by: 1. Self-evaluating using a mirror2. Video observation3. Using a plumb line to examine the relationship of the joints to each other and the floor 3. Applying verbal and “hands on” correction by your teacher
So, what is it that allows you to gauge and adjust your alignment?  You have an inner “sixth sense” - called kinesthesia - enabling you to judge the position of each of your body parts in relation to each other within the 3D space that surrounds you.  Through kinaesthetic awareness you can feel, control and manipulate your movements whether you’re upright, airborne or upended!  You also use it to imitate correct alignment demonstrated to you; to remember the sensation of proper alignment; or to mentally visualize alignment adjustments. This process occurs because your body is like a computer gathering information about your movements and relaying it to your brain: the muscles, tendons and joints, along with the canals in your inner ear, act like a motherboard as they contain “sockets” called proprioceptors.  These “sockets” are tiny organs which receive messages about your actions from your body and the environment which are then “wired” back to your brain.  Your kinaesthetic sense allows you to detect and feel the alignment of your body and if a movement or position is misaligned, your sense of kinaesthetic awareness enables you to correct it. 
Just as computers have memory, movement information is also stored up in the body: your muscles have built-in RAM.  This is called your kinaesthetic memory or “muscle memory” and you engage it to “save” and recall movement information.  Through repetition and practice of correct alignment and undertaking preventative body conditioning (through pilates, stretching and technical classes for example) you can “re-program” mis-learnt alignment habits and relocate and strengthen forgotten muscle groups for appropriate muscle tone.  This will reduce your propensity to injury and improve the efficiency, ease and energy use of your body skills. Your body computer will run more smoothly and there is far less risk of crashes.       
Finally, remember that the inner workings of a computer also function to present information on an external screen and likewise, when you perform a dance, your body’s purpose is to communicate (outside of your own kinaesthetic sensations) to an external audience- you must engage, entertain and portray your intention on your “body screen”.  Your alignment plays a crucial role in expression and your aesthetic and artistic quality of line.  It is also necessary for control and stability in body skills such as turns, balances, falls, leaps and transferences of weight.  So, alignment is a key element of both dance technique incorporating safe dance practice and performance quality. 
 
CHECKBOX
 The centre of the knee should line up with the middle of the toes so there is no inward     (medial) or outward (lateral) rotation of the knees
 The placement of the feet should match the rotation of the hip joint and knee joint in     turned-out and parallel positions so that the thigh, shin and foot are aligned
 The pelvis should not tilt forward (anteriorly) or tuck under (posteriorly) so that      alignment of the trunk over the legs is maintained
 The natural curves of the spine should be lengthened and not hyperextended or “crunched”    and the ribcage should be narrowed at the front and broadened at the back 
 The ankle bones should be vertically aligned so that there is no inward sickling (pronation) or    outward rolling (supination) of the ankles and feet
 On demi pointe the forefoot, midfoot and hindfoot should be aligned and all toes should     be flat on the ground with equal weight distribution across the ball of the foot.
 The chin should not protrude forward or be tucked in
 The scapula should be anchored on the spine and shoulder girdle and should not be     allowed to protract or elevate
 Core support should be maintained at all times
Miss BakerShelly Baker BA/BTEACH, MA". Shelly Baker is a qualified high school teacher with a Master of Arts from King's College London.  She has been teaching dance for 10 years; in both primary and secondary schools, in renowned private dance studios and as an external tutor for the 2 Unit Higher School Certificate (HSC) Dance course.  She is now teaching Dance and English in a school in New South Wales and is thrilled to have come onboard with Danectrain to offer guidance to school students studying Dance throughout Australia.