Ballet Positions
All About The Five Ballet Positions
One of the first things you need ask about the five ballet positions are, which five? There are the five positions of the feet, five for the arms (with a couple of variations of the fifth position), and then five basic positions combining arm and foot positions. The positions in turn form the starting points for the basic ballet movements. Sound like it's getting complicated? Just wait.
History Of The Ballet - Before we get into the basic ballet positions, let's take a look at the art form itself and a little of the history behind it. It's always nice to know how one got from there to here, including where the five basic positions came from. You can see ballet performed in virtually any large city in the world, and in many smaller cities and mid-sized towns as well. You may not get the chance to see the traditionally great companies perform, but you can still see great ballet.
The most famous ballet companies are probably the Royal Ballet in London, the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, and St. Petersburg's Kirov Ballet. The Kirov was named after an assassinated Communist, but although the name of the host city has changed, it used to be Leningrad, the name Kirov has stuck. The Royal Ballet was once known as the Sadler's Wells Ballet. Margot Fonteyn was the company's most famous performer, and Rudolf Nureyev also performed with the Royal Ballet. The Bolshoi Ballet, which may actually be the most well know of the three companies, made it's mark with its first production of Swan Lake in 1877, and Swan Lake has been performed quite regularly ever since. This beautiful ballet is a favorite whenever the Bolshoi goes on tour. The Kirov, originally the Imperial Ballet, also has performed Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty as well. Two of the Kirov's famous dancers, before defecting to the West, were Rudolph Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
If you can't see one of the above companies, there is always the famed New York City Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, the Pacific Northwest Ballet (Seattle), and if you happen to be in Scandinavia, the Royal Danish Ballet always manages to put on quite a show.
Ballet has its roots in 15th Century Italy in the form of dance performances, in which the performers usually wore elaborate costumes. These performances, hosted by noblemen were as much competitions as anything, but the idea eventually spread to France, where in the mid-17th century King Louis XIV founded the Royal Academy of Dancing. It was here that the basic ballet positions were defined and began to form the basis for the dance techniques. By the late 18th century the elaborate costumes were dispensed with and audiences could now clearly see the skill, athleticism, and grace that goes into any ballet performance.
The Basic Foot And Arm Ballet Positions - Which brings us back to the basic positions. These positions will be described briefly here, they are not particularly complicated when taken one at a time (truly mastering each position is another matter). Renting or purchasing a video, or going to YouTube for a lesson or brief introduction, is recommended if you or a family member is considering taking up the art.
The Five Foot Positions -
Position Number 1 - Heels touch one another and the balls of the feet face outward. The feet are nearly in a straight line.
Position Number 2 - The balls of the feet are still turned outward, but now the heels are separated by about a foot.
Position Number 3 - The right foot remains turned out. The left foot is placed in front of the right foot with the heel against the right toe.
Position Number 4 - The same as third position, but one step apart. The heel is closer to the middle of the right foot.
Position Number 5 - With both feet touching, the toes of each foot reaches the heel of the other.
A couple of things worth noting: Different ballet schools may teach these basic positions with some variations. Also, the last two positions are usually not taught until a student can do the first three reasonably well. In other words, these are more easily explained than done! (continued...)