Finding your balance

Every dancer, especially ballerinas, have struggled with being able to balance on their toes . The ability to balance can be useful in plain balances on demi-pointe or to increase the amount of turns one can do. The key to balancing well is to find your 'center'. Your center is where your body is able to balance for many counts without shaking or falling. When practicing balances at the barre it is important to figure out the adjustments you need to make to be on your center so that when you turn, your muscles immediately remember the position that is your center.

(Please forgive my strained facial expression. Us dancers all have that one face we make when trying really hard to hold a position.)

To get on your center, your weight must be on the 'ball' of your foot meaning your ankles should be pulled up and it should not look like you are falling back on your ankles.
Next, depending on which position you are in, lean your body slightly forward or backward as a counterweight if your leg is lifted. However, if you are in arabesque or in a position where your leg is extended behind you, do not lean so far forward that you look like an ironing board.
Be sure your arms are solid, no wet noodle arms as my teacher tells us. If you are at the barre, some say it helps them a lot to slightly extend the arm closest to the barre a little farther out than their other arm if their arms are in first. Personally, this seems to help me more with the psychological aspect of balancing rather than the physical part of it.
One of my personal tips is to focus on something that is still and to eliminate the moving things from your periphery vision because that can throw you off your center s well. I also find it helpful to squeeze my butt and tighten my core because it makes me less wobbly.
I hope that these tips were helpful!