Five Ballet Positions

From LoveToKnow Dance

The five ballet positions are the first thing that is introduced to every classical ballet dancer, and one of the few things from the first day of class which is still being practiced every day of a professional dancer's life. The positions are the backbone of ballet because of the opportunity they provide for dancers to work on their technique.

Without the head angle, the magic of the position is broken

The five basic ballet positions can be learned in no time at all, but perfecting these positions is what takes years of practice. The five ballet positions, when practiced each and every day as part of a classical ballet routine, will become more and more natural, turnout from the hip will increase, and the dancer will become more and more secure in each position.

In addition to mastering things like turnout, there's also something to be said for the ability to do different things in each of the five positions. For example, dancers should be able to go into relevé in all five positions without tipping over. Likewise, demi and grand-plié should be possible in all five positions (except second position, where demi, but not grand-plié can be done). Increasing the fluidity and the stability with which a dancer goes from a static fifth into relevé fifth, en pointe, is one of the daily challenges of the dancer.

Enhancing the Five Ballet Positions

All dancing, including ballet, is about movement; however, ballet has an intense focus on correct form and aesthetics. Called 'technique', mastering the finer points of ballet includes learning things like at what angle your head should come out of your neck in order to evoke different effects. When dancers first learn the five positions, the focus is on getting the positions right, and years of practice increase the level of turnout and increase the fluidity between different forms of the same position (relevé and plié) and increase the fluidity when going from one position to the next one.

For those ballet dancers who are seriously thinking about a dance career, it's important to work on some additional elements of mastering the ballet positions. Study videos of professional dancers paying special attention to the angles of their heads in different positions and in different movements. Getting the head movements 'right' is what makes the crucial difference between a technically accomplished dancer (good turnout, fluid movement, graceful arm angles, etc) and a dancer who can steal the crowd's focus when she comes onstage. Ultimately, even if you aspire to be a professional dancer in a corps de ballet and not a soloist, these finishing touches on your form are what will make the difference between a passable and a successful audition.

In the history of ballet, there have been schools of thought that leave accents such as head angles up to the dancers themselves and other schools of thought that prescribe every movement and every angle, including those of the dancer's head. While most modern dancers agree that a complete prescription of head movements (like that found in the Cecchetti Method) is unnecessary, getting a feel for when the head should be inclined and when it should be angled to one side or the other is a vital aspect of classical ballet to master.

Practicing Positions

It can feel weird at first to bring head movements into your basic work with the five positions. Start with very small movements of the head, for example, pointing your chin slightly upward when going into relevé or inclining your head ever so slightly towards your chest when you go into grand-plié. Instead of thinking about your head moving, just move your eyes toward the ceiling (relevé) or toward the ground (grand-plié) and you'll notice that your head is naturally moving in the direction your eyes are indicating. This is a good way to start on head movements in the basic ballet positions, which you can then transfer over into other types of ballet movements.

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