The foundation of ballet dancing lies in having the correct ballet positions of the feet and arms. All ballet positions feature turned out feet. There are five basic ballet positions, all of which include turned out legs. If there were other possible ballet positions that allowed easy movement between each foot position while maintain a basic turned out foot position, I’m sure these would be included in the basic ballet dancing positions. However, no other possible ballet positions have been found at this point.
Learning the ballet positions is important for those just beginning ballet dancing. Those more advanced in ballet dancing should still review each foot position, for there are many ballet dancers who do not execute these ballet positions correctly.
First Position
The first foot position involves the balls of the feet completely turned out. The touching heels and the turned out toes should form one completely straight line. When the ballet dancer executes a plie while in first foot position, he or she must turn the knees out so that they are placed directly above the feet. This will help to protect the knees from damage, a common problem in ballet dancing. First position is one of the commonly used ballet positions.
Second Postion
This foot position also involves holding the feet turned out, in a single straight line. The difference between the two ballet positions is that in first position, the heels touch, while in second position, the heels will be about a foot apart. The second foot position and first position are the only two ballet positions that do not involved crossing the legs and feet.
In the third foot position, the ballet dancer sets the front foot directly in the other, so that the heel of the front foot touches the middle of the back foot. Like the other ballet positions described, third position should be turned out from the hip. Third position can be executed with either the right or the left foot in front.
Fourth Position
Fourth Position involves the feet being parallel and still turned out, like the other ballet positions. In this foot position, the front foot will be about six inches in front of the back foot. As in the third foot position, either the right or left leg can be in front for fourth position.
Fifth Position
This is the final foot position necessary for ballet dancing. Fifth position looks somewhat similar to third position-one foot is directly in front of the other, and turned out, as in all the ballet positions. Instead of the heel of the front foot being parallel with the middle of the back foot, the feet will touch toe to heel-the toe of the back foot will touch the heel of the front foot and vice versa.
It will take some time for one just introduced to ballet dancing to acquire the turned out flexibility necessary for the five ballet positions, but with practice, you can quickly learn the ballet positions and how to transition between them.
