“Your port de bras is such an integral part of technique,” says Ballet West principal Emily Adams. “Your arms elevate your dancing artistically.”

Ever wonder why some dancers’ port de bras appears to be disconnected from their body? It typically comes down to how they stabilize their shoulder blades, says Marimba Gold-Watts, Pilates instructor to dancers like Robert Fairchild. “Dancers often hear the cue to pull down on their latissimus,”—the biggest muscle in the back—”which doesn’t allow the […]