Top Tip： Grounding

COURSE: Essential Skills

FOCUS: This lesson teaches grounding, which involves shifting your body's center of gravity from the chest to the belly to improve balance and control in dance.

TIP & TRICKS:

• Relax your shoulders and chest to move your center from the chest to the belly area.
• Let your full body weight go down through your legs and feet to touch the floor with every part of the foot.
• Breathe into your belly to help relax and connect into the ground.
• Practice grounding and ungrounding by stepping and adjusting your breath.
• Try grounding with a partner in close embrace to feel the tactile difference.
• Avoid bending your knees; focus on where you hold your energy and body weight instead.

REMEMBER:

• Grounding is about where you send your energy, not about your posture or bending your knees.
• Being grounded improves balance, control, and timing, making dancing to slow music easier.
• It helps prevent tension in the upper body by focusing breath and relaxation in the belly.
• Grounding can make you feel heavier and more stable, as demonstrated in partner exercises.
• Incorporating grounding takes practice but leads to better movement control over time.
• Ungrounded dancing often causes problems, so grounding is essential for technical skills.