Align Fitness By Allie

Save this for your next inner thigh stretch session. It’s so good and easy to do at any level.

The Internet hate for my body has been a little intense the last few weeks. And you know what?

Let them.

Let them hate. Let them be jealous. Let them be ignorant.

Three years I couldn’t pick up a 10 pound weight after a back surgery. This back surgery came from a lifetime of dancing without understanding how strength and stability outside of the studio played a huge role in the health of my body in the studio

I tried to look the thinnest, have the smallest muscles and cleanest lines. I tried to restrict my calories, and I tried to look in the mirror and make myself look like what I thought was a model ballerina. All those habits landed me with an injury that left my left leg motor Function gone.

So yeah, I don’t freaking care if your body fat is at 12%.

I DO care immensely that you are supporting your body physically, nutritionally, mentally and that we are getting stronger in and out of the studio.

So a few weeks ago when I was able to pull 62 pounds eight times in a row I’m pretty ecstatic and happy to welcome anyone into my circle that needs some of this support in their dancing journey.

Have you ever arrived at your destination feeling like you aged five years during the trip?

You know the feeling.

Your hips are tight.

Your back feels stiff.

Your ankles are swollen.

You finally stand up after hours in the car or on a plane, and your body feels like it forgot how to move.
For years, I thought the solution was finding time for the perfect workout.

Now?I don’t.

Instead, I rely on something I call movement snacks.

Just like grabbing a healthy snack between meals keeps your energy steady, movement snacks are small, bite-sized movement breaks sprinkled throughout the day to keep your body feeling good.

They’re not hour-long workouts.

They’re not complicated.

And they don’t require a gym.

Maybe it’s 2 minutes of calf raises while waiting for coffee.
A few hip openers at a rest stop.
Some ankle mobility before boarding your flight.
A balance exercise while brushing your teeth.
Tiny moments.

But those tiny moments compound.

On travel days, movement snacks often replace a full workout for me. If I can’t fit in a full DANCER STRONG™ session, I don’t stress about what I didn’t do. I focus on what I can do.

Because consistency isn’t built by perfection.

It’s built by the small habits you repeat over and over again.

Those little movement breaks keep my body happier, my joints moving, and make it so much easier to jump back into training when I get home.
Don’t underestimate the power of a few minutes.

Small movements.
Big payoff.

✨ What are your favorite movement snacks when you’re traveling? Share them below. I’d love to steal a few ideas!

Squats aren’t your enemy. Bad information is. 🎯
For years I avoided squatting, thanks to outdated ideas from both the dance world and pop culture about what muscle “should” look like. Then I learned to do it right, and years of hip pain disappeared. My technique opened up in ways it never had before.

Whether you love squats or can’t stand them, this one’s for you. New video on YouTube: the cues that turn squatting into a technique game changer (link in bio).

The changes dancers can make in seconds when they truly understand how to use strength training inside ballet class.

This was my fourth year teaching at the IABF | International Adult Ballet Festival , and every year Julie and I refine how we help dancers bridge the gap between strength training and technique. This year, we wanted to do something different.

Instead of keeping strength work separate from ballet, we brought it directly into class.

Each day, we spent nearly two hours focused on one specific skill:
• Standing leg
• Turnout
• Feet
• Balance

We started with targeted strength exercises, then broke down the cues I use in my classes and DANCER STRONG™ programs so dancers understood what those cues actually mean, not just the shorthand they’re used to hearing.

Then we went to the barre and into center with one goal:
Apply it immediately.

Watching dancers feel the difference almost instantly was my favorite part of the week. Suddenly, that “boring” single-leg deadlift wasn’t just another exercise. It became the reason they could stand taller, balance longer, and move with more control.

Even more inspiring were the dancers themselves.

Many of them didn’t start dancing until just 1 to 4 years ago. They weren’t the kids who grew up in the studio.

Yet they showed up every day with incredible passion, humility, and determination. They supported one another, celebrated each other’s wins, and weren’t afraid to struggle, fail, laugh, and try again.

As always, I left this festival incredibly grateful.

Grateful to witness adults proving that it’s never too late to improve your technique, become stronger, and surprise yourself with what’s possible.

If you’re an adult dancer who’s ready to feel a real difference both in and out of the studio, I’d love to help.

Click the link in my bio to try DANCER STRONG™ free for one week, or send me a DM if you have questions. There’s no reason this can’t be your story, too. ❤️

Try this exercise to find correct and strong placement for your shoulder in a pirouette.

The details in a strength exercise (or any) are what make them magical in your body and alignment.

I would love to have you join me for group classes for adult dancers in person or zoom. Dm me to find out more! ❤️

And grab your 7 day free trial of DANCER STRONG™ at www.dancerstrongprograms.com

Your joints should not feel wrecked after every ballet class.

A little fatigue? Normal.
Feeling challenged? Normal.

But if your knees, hips, or ankles constantly feel irritated after dancing, your body might be missing stability somewhere in the chain.

A lot of dancers stretch more when they feel discomfort… but many actually need better strength and control around the joints instead 🩰

Think:
→ ankle stability
→ hip strength
→ foot control
→ balance work
→ better warm ups

The goal is not to make ballet feel easy.
The goal is to make your body feel more supported while doing it 💪

Your technique improves a lot faster when your joints stop fighting for survival.

One of the biggest mistakes dancers make in strength training?

Only working in turnout.

Yes, turnout matters.
But if you completely avoid parallel work, you are missing a huge piece of what creates strong, stable technique.

Parallel strength training helps dancers build:
• stronger glutes
• better hip stability
• cleaner landings
• more control in balances
• stronger support for turnout itself 💪

Your turnout does not exist separately from the rest of your body.

Sometimes the dancers who struggle most with turnout actually need more parallel strength work, not more forcing.

Train the whole body, not just the aesthetic 🩰

Save this if you need the reminder to stop skipping parallel work.

Not every struggle in ballet means something is “wrong” with your body.

Sometimes your body is simply underprepared for what you are asking it to do.

Ballet demands an incredible amount of strength, coordination, mobility, and control all at once. If one piece is missing, your body will find another way to compensate.

That does not mean you are broken.
It means your training needs support. 💪

The good news?
Bodies adapt.

With the right strength work, dancers can improve stability, reduce discomfort, and build technique in a way that actually feels sustainable 🩰

You are allowed to work with your body instead of constantly fighting against it.

Your turnout is probably not the problem.

A lot of dancers assume they just “weren’t born with turnout,” when really the issue is usually strength and control around the hips. 🩰

If your glutes, deep rotators, and core are not supporting the movement, your body will compensate somewhere else.

That’s when turnout starts to feel forced, unstable, or painful.

Instead of pushing harder from your feet or knees, focus on building the muscles that actually hold your turnout.

Because better turnout is not always about having more flexibility.
A lot of the time, it’s about having more support.

Train the strength behind the technique 💪

Follow for dancer strength tips that support your technique.