Reimagining posture in ballet: sarah daultry on the franklin method®

Reimagining posture in ballet: Sarah Daultry on The Franklin Method®

We’re always looking for ways to support and inspire dance teachers, which is why we’re thrilled to host our upcoming Enlighten webinar: Postural Alignment with the Franklin Method. Dance educator Sarah Daultry will dive into a fresh approach to posture, challenging some of the common myths around ‘correct’ alignment and helping teachers explore new ways to guide their students. 

Sarah brings a wealth of experience to this session. She trained at the Arts Educational Schools UK and Maurice Béjart’s MUDRA School in Belgium before a successful international career as a dancer, ballet mistress, and teacher. With years of teaching experience under her belt, she’s now our Teacher Training Manager. Sarah is also a certified Franklin Method® Level 3 educator, studying under Eric Franklin since 2016. 

Ahead of the webinar, we caught up with Sarah to hear about her journey with the Franklin Method and why it’s been a game-changer for her teaching. She shares insights into how this approach helps dancers understand their bodies better, from functional anatomy to using imagery to support movement.  

What inspired you to create this webinar? 

There are some misconceptions about what ‘correct’ posture should be, especially in dance. Your posture needs to be adaptable, dynamic, and work for you in all genres of dance, not just a rigid idea of what’s correct in ballet. I’ve previously done a webinar on posture in general, but this one focuses on the role the spine plays in ballet, and how it contributes to efficient posture. 

Could you explain what the Franklin Method is? 

The Franklin Method is essentially about understanding how your body is designed to move and how you can influence movement through your thoughts and imagery. It revolves around three main premises: functional anatomy—understanding how the body moves, absorbs force, and functions; getting feedback from your body to your mind; and using your mind to consciously influence movement. 

When did you first come across the Franklin Method? 

I was introduced to it about eight years ago. A colleague mentioned that what I was doing in my teaching was very similar to the Franklin Method, and she encouraged me to explore it further. Later, Rachael Hall, a Royal Ballet School alumna, who was a Franklin educator told me it would transform everything I did—and she was right. 

What do you think makes the Franklin Method so transformative? 

The big shift comes from realising that what dancers think they’re doing isn’t always what’s actually happening in their bodies. For example, someone might focus on raising their foot higher, but there are opposing forces at play that need to be engaged first. Once you understand those micro-movements, everything—flexibility, mobility, alignment—starts to improve, often without needing to force or fix anything. 

This webinar is for dance educators of all levels, but is there a specific kind of teacher you think would benefit most? 

It’s suitable for any dance teacher, really, but especially ballet teachers because that’s my area of expertise. Ballet dancers today need to be versatile, performing not just classical pieces but modern works too.  

Could you share some of the techniques you’ll be exploring in the webinar? 

One technique we always begin with is simply standing still and becoming aware of your body—where your weight is distributed, if one shoulder is higher, if there’s tension somewhere. It’s about awareness. We then introduce methods like sensory stimulation to calm the nervous system, which helps students be more receptive to learning. If a student comes to class stressed or distracted, this can help bring them into a better state of mind for learning. 

We also utilise imagery, which is about consciously creating thoughts or images in your mind that influence your movement. For example, if I ask a group of people how they’re feeling, and they start thinking about being tired or stiff, their posture visibly changes. But if we shift to thinking about feeling flexible, mobile, and happy, their bodies respond without much physical input. Imagery is a powerful tool we use to help people connect more deeply with their bodies and movement patterns. 

 What are some key takeaways for teachers from this webinar? 

Teachers will gain strategies to help students develop a better mind map of their bodies. For example, we do a lot of tapping and fascia movement, which wakes up the sensory nervous system, giving students a clearer sense of where their bodies are in space. This awareness helps them execute complex movements more effectively. Another important takeaway is learning to teach students how to move their spines. Often, students have a misconception that a ballet dancer’s back should be rigid and straight, but it needs to be flexible and responsive to movement. 

What are some other benefits for students learning these methods? 

The Franklin Method helps calm the parasympathetic nervous system, which improves focus, concentration, and breathing. This can be especially valuable when students are under stress. Additionally, it fosters curiosity and builds skills that extend beyond the dance studio—things like self-awareness and confidence. 

The Franklin Method pulls from various disciplines, consolidating principles of movement into something universal. It’s not about inventing new movements but refining and becoming aware of the ones we already do. You can practice it in everyday activities like walking or sitting. 

The webinar will be held on 14 November at 10.00 GMT and is open to teachers everywhere. If you can’t make it to the upcoming webinar, we are also hosting one on 25 March 2025. Join Sarah and get inspired by new tools and techniques you can apply to your classes.