The Basic Positions of the Arms in Ballet Dancing

Just as there are basic positions of the feet in ballet dancing, the arms are just as important and they too have basic positions which are learned during ballet training.  Beautiful arm lines in ballet are just as important as turnout, as the look of ballet dancing can be totally ruined by misplaced or ugly arms.  The carraige of the arms is called Port de Bras in ballet dancing french terms.  There should be no strain showing in the arms or hands while a ballet dancer is dancing.  There is always a natural curve in the arms with no sharp angles showing. The middle finger acts as a natural extension of your arm line and the fingers should never point or  stiffen.

There are slight variations of the arms in all the different classical ballet methods, but the positions below are the most recognised in classical ballet dancing.

Bras Bas:

In this position the baby fingers are just touching or slightly away from the upper thigh. The arms are curved with the fingers slightly apart and the hands not touching. The elbows are supported, but not angular and the shape is oval. This is the most used position in ballet dancing and it usually precedes all the movements at the barre or in centre practise.

First Position of the Arms:

The ballet dancer holds her arms lightly curved downwards from the shoulders with the fingers held a few centimeters apart making a natural rounded shape from the shoulders.  Dancers must be careful of holding the arms too high.  Elbows must remain supported throughout all of the arm movements.

 

Second Position of the Arms:

Your arms should be held out to the side in a natural sloping line from the shoulders. The curve must stay soft with a feeling of continuing length rather than stretching out. Take care not to drop the elbows in second positon.

Third Position of the Arms:

Your one arm is in first position, and the other is in second. Arms should remain below the shoulders and take care once again to support your elbows.

Fourth Position of the Arms:

One arm will remain in second position, and the other is raised above the head in a natural curve with the hand held softly.

Fifth Position of the Arms:

Both arms are raised in a curved and lengthened position above the head, and the hands remain a few inches apart. The dancer should take care not to lift the shoulders.  Another thing to try and avoid in this position is arching of the back or letting the chest flop outwards.

In all the arm positions, there must be a smooth line as the arms continue through the hand right through to the sensitivity in the fingers.

The carriage of the head, neck and shoulders are also very important to achieve the overall noble bearing and creating an all over harmonious picture. Eye line is also important and should express what the dancer is trying to show and her inner feeling.

The Basic Positions of the Feet in Ballet Dancing

In Ballet Dancing, there are 5 basic positions of the feet, which anybody doing ballet should be able to demonstrate for you.  These positions are the foundation positions from which you will always start or end a step or series of steps in your ballet dancing.  The basic positions of the feet are all turned out positions, as you will see below.

The basic positions of the feet for ballet were not invented by any one person at any particular time.  The basic positions grew from the steps of court dances all those years ago, when it was agreed upon that a delicately pointed and turned out foot looked attractive.

The turned out positions developed gradually and they were first written about in France in the seventeenth century, but the full turn out that we recognise today didn’t come about until the following century.  Before that dancers had realised the importance of beautiful line, but did not have the necessary technique to achieve those lines.  Some even used artificial aids to keep them turned out.  Turning out from the hips allows dancers far more freedom to develop the steps into beautiful lines and dances.

First Position of the Feet:
In this basic position of the feet, your legs are together with the heels touching. The feet aim to form a straight line.  In this position the dancer must be conscious of her posture.  Weight should be evenly balanced between the feet, and dancer must stand tall and straight with head held.  The body should have the feeling of lifting from the hips, and there should be no sense of strain.  Breathing should remain even and deep from your diaphragm, as you will be using a lot of extra oxygen during your ballet dancing.

Second Position of the Feet:
Your feet should be in the same shape as your first position, but spaced about one and a half lengths of your foot apart.  The weight of your body must be shifted to balance over your feet evenly.

Third Position of the Feet:

The turned out feet are partly crossed so that the heel of the front foot fits into the hollow of the instep of the back foot.  You don’t see this position very often during performances, but it is a stepping stone for ballet pupils towards the much more difficult fifth position.

Fourth Position of the Feet:
There are two versions of the fourth position.  Firstly you will learn open fourth position.  This looks a lot like first position, but the one foot is about 12 inches in front of the other.  Crossed fourth position looks like fifth position with one foot in front of the other, also about 12 inches apart.  Fourth position is used a lot to precede strong turning movements.

Fifth Position of the Feet:
This is by far the most difficult position to achieve, but if you master a good third position, fifth position will be a natural progression forwards.  The ballet dancer aims to get the heel of the front foot against the toe of the back foot, while maintaining full turnout from the hips.