summary from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/finding-the-correct-ballet-stance.html
One of the big goals of ballet is creating the illusion of elegance and poise. A certain confident ease of motion perpetuates this illusion. But that's exactly what it is — an illusion. Deep down, every ballet dancer is just as neurotic as you are.
Locating your center
If you were to videotape a world-class ballet dancer in action, and then stop the tape at any given frame, the ideal dancer will always appear graceful and balanced. This remarkable phenomenon applies to other pursuits as well — tai chi, for example, or thumb wrestling.
The key to this appearance is centering. As a potential ballet dancer, the first thing you need to do is find your center — the position in which you can rest in total balance. Here's how the pros do it:
1. Stand at the mirror, facing sideways, with your feet parallel to each other.
2. Engaging your thigh muscles, straighten your knees — but without pushing back into your knee joints.
3. Lift your abdominal muscles upward and back towards your spine.
This is called pulled-up position. Imagine that you are placing your ribcage over your hips. Think of your neck as an upward extension of your spine. Your shoulders are relaxed downward, and your chin is slightly lifted — hence the haughty air.
4. Curve your arms so that they are rounded and just in front of your thighs, and bring your weight forward into the balls of your feet.
You should be able to lift your heels slightly off the floor . At first, you may feel as if you are about to fall forward onto your face. In fact, go ahead and give yourself permission to fall forward a few times. But with practice, this alignment becomes much more natural.
Now that you have found your placement, or center, you are ready for anything. All ballet movements begin from here, allowing the upper and lower sections of your body to work together as one.
