1. Stand tall- One of the first basic principles of ballet is to stand tall. Elongate the entire body by evenly lifting everything up. There is no frumpiness allowed in ballet and  good ballet teacher will re-enforce this with a cane! Seriously.

2. Keep your head up- If you look down, you will fall down, unless it is written in the choreography, a ballerina is to maintain a long neck and keep her head up, nose to the sky. Even when the gaze turns downward, it is still done with a long, extended back.

3. Shoulders down- Shoulders tend to creep up when we are stressed or holding tension but it is a ballerinas job to make everything look as if it is effortless so lift everything up except the  shoulders. As you lift up, the shoulders push down away from your ears.

4. Belly in- Always lift up and in, especially in the midline. This is your center and power source for everything in ballet. It must remain active and strong at all times.

5. Discipline- Quiet, focus, no complaining and practice until perfection.

*Acquire grace, even when you fall, do it gracefully.