Place Your Weight on the Inner Edge of Your Feet

The following video features an instructor explaining how to maintain balance while dancing. The original explanation was in Chinese, and I’ve translated it here. The final paragraph is my own addition.

Beginners often have trouble keeping their balance when they first start dancing. Many factors can affect stability: foot position, center of gravity, the way the body moves, or the position of the pelvis. Any of these may cause you to lose balance. In this lesson, we’ll focus on footwork and look at three basic foot positions.

The first position is the full‑foot position. In this position, your whole foot—including the heel—is on the floor. Your weight should be placed on the inner edge of the foot. You should feel your spine aligned vertically with that inner edge, and your pelvis resting over the inner side of the thigh. If your weight shifts to the outer edge of the foot, or if your pelvis drifts outward, you’ll lose stability because your body has exceeded its balance range.

When stepping forward, keep your weight on the inner edge of the front foot, and use the inner three toes of the back foot for support. When stepping backward, place your weight on the inner edge of the back foot, again supporting yourself with the inner three toes of the front foot.

The second position is the half‑foot position of the extended leg, where the ball of the foot touches the floor. Beginners often let this position collapse. The correct technique is to keep the ankle straight and strong as the ball of the foot makes contact with the floor. Whether the leg is stretched forward, sideways, or backward, the part of the foot that should touch the floor is the inner three toes, not the outer edge.

The third position is the toe‑point position. Whether pointing forward, sideways, or backward, you should touch the floor with the inner side of your big toe.

Beginners should constantly pay attention to where their weight is placed. Whether you are standing on the whole foot, the ball of the foot, or just the toe, your weight should always fall on the inner edge. If you notice your weight drifting outward, draw it back inward and direct it toward the inner edge. You should feel your inner thighs gently engaged at all times.

This way of using the feet allows the two legs to form a mutually supportive, stable frame. It helps keep your weight centered through movement, preventing the body from tipping to either side.