Principles of Ballet

Elements of Ballet

Ballet is a means of expressing a theme or, as in most cases, telling a story through the medium of dance. As such, ballet as a genre may generally be broken down into the following four basic elements:

Choreography - this is the dance element of the ballet. More specifically, the term refers to the design of the dance, ie. the particular movements which are executed by the performer(s).
Music - this is the melodic accompaninent to the dance.
Plot - this is the story being enacted within the ballet.
Decoration - this is combination of visual elements, ie. scenery, props and costumes, which are added to enhance the telling of the story.

There are certain set positions in ballet for the arms and particularly for the feet which give the dancer a particularly pleasing aspect as well as providing a starting point for particular moves and interchanges. Described on this page are just a few of the more basic principles.

Foot Positions

There are five basic foot positions in ballet, which are common to all teaching methods. Note that all of these are based on the 'turn-out', ie. with the feet pointing in opposing directions either in a straight line, or offset with one foot in front of the other.

First Position: Feet together, in line, heel to heel.
Second Position: Feet apart, in line, heels opposed.
Third Position: Feet together, front and behind, overlapping by about a half foot length.
Fourth Position: Feet apart, front and behind. Feet may be a) closed - fully overlapping, or b) open - no overlap.
Position: Feet together, front and behind, fully overlapping.
Please note that for clarity of illustration the above diagrams show a small seperation of the feet in the 'feet together' positions, whereas in fact the feet would normally be touching in these positions.

En Pointe

The most striking and beautiful parts of any ballerina's routine are when she rises en pointe, balancing on the very tips of her toes whilst she pirouettes or takes small steps across the stage, or simply holds a pose balanced on one or both feet. Rising en pointe gives the ballerina a majestic, ethereal quality, appearing so light that she is floating up from the ground.

Of course to do this she needs help, the toe joints are simply not strong enough to support the whole body unaided. Pointe shoes are a special type of shoe worn be ballet dancers to enable them to dance en pointe, and have two vital structural features to provide the support the dancer needs to do this.

The box is a stiffened enclosure for the dancers toes to keep them straight, prevent the joints from buckling, and distribute the weight more evenly. Traditionally, the box was composed of layers of stiffened material made rigid by stitching and glue. This would quickly soften with use however, and dancers were forced to replace their shoes with extreme frequency. Modern pointe shoes employ a highly advanced plastic material for the box and consequently last much longer. Dancers also use soft wool or modern gel materials to protect their toes from chafing in the box. The box normally has a flattened end to further assist the dancer to hold a balance.
The shank is a length of strengthened material which runs along the length of the sole of the shoe. It's purpose is to lend support to the arch of the dancers foot when she rises en pointe.

Even with these special shoes, dancing en pointe requires considerable training to build up the necessary strength, and places considerable stress on the feet often resulting in minor injuries such as bunions and/or blisters. These are the tribulations that any ballerina must endure for her art.

Arm Positions

Unlike the foot positions, the positions of the arms are not standard with different teaching methods each having their own numbered set of arm positions. The following illustrate the basic set of arm positions commonly taught in ballet. Note that the arms are never held straight but are always gently curved. Furthermore, it is the positions of the arms and legs in combination that give the overall character to the pose. Note also that the tilt of the head and the facial expression can be used to enhance or radically alter the character of the position (see 5).

/ Preparatory Position: Arms lowered, hands a little in front of the thighs (bras bas - "arms low"). This is the ballet dancer's equivalent of 'stand at ease'.
/ First Position: Arms forward (held curved and apart as though embracing a large object. This position is known as the gateway position since it is the mid point of transition between other positions.
/ Second Position: Arms held out to the side, curving slightly forward.
/ Third Position: Arms held aloft (en couronne - "like a crown").
/ Combination: One arm extended to the side, other held curved in front.
/ Combination: One arm raised overhead, other held curved in front - note change in character from head straight to head tilted.

The numbering used above is based upon the Russian teaching method.

Movements

Ballet can be analysed into seven basic categories of movements (the invention of this classification has been variously attributed to at least two 18th Century dance masters, Noverre and Feuillet). These categories are:

Categories of Movement

pliér - to bend
etendre - to stretch
relever - to rise up
sauter - to jump/leap
elancer - to dart
glisser - to glide
tourner - to turn

In a pas de deux (duet) you can add at least four more:

to lift
to throw (jeter)
to catch
to carry

Directions of Facing

The facing of the dancer on stage is summarised according to eight basic compass points.

devant/en face - (forwards) directly facing the audience.
ouverte devant - (open forwards) facing the right front corner of the stage so that when in fifth position from the audience vantage point a gap is seen between the legs.
de cote to right - (sideways right) facing to the right wing of the stage.
ouverte derriére - (open rearwards) facing the rear right corner of the stage.
derriére - (rearwards) facing directly away from the audience.
croisée derriére - (crossed rearwards) facing the rear left corner of the stage.
de cote to left - (sideways left) facing to the left wing of the stage.
croisée devant - (crossed forwards) facing the left front corner of the stage so that when in fifth position from the audience vantage point the legs are seen one behind the other.

Directions of Movement

The movements of the dancer on stage are similarly summarised as follows:

en evant - any forwards movement.
ouverte en devant - any movement towards ouverte devant (front right).
de cote to right - any movement towards the right.
ouverte en arriére - any movement towards ouverte derriére (rear right).
en arriére - any backwards movement.
croisée en arriére - any movement towards croisée derriére (rear left).
de cote to left - any movement towards the left.
croisée en avant - any movement towards ouverte croisée (front left).

en dedans - any movement of a limb inwards towards the body.
en dehors - any movement of a limb outwards away from the body.

Ballet Terms

In the following definitions, the acronyms F1 - F5 refer to the five standard foot positions in ballet.

Adagio Slow, sustained deliberate movements.

Allegro Rapid movements, ie. fast running and jumping.

Allongé To stretch out the arms as far as possible.

Arabesque A classical position where the body is supported on one leg whilst the other is extended out behind.

Arrière, en Used to describe any motion to the back.

Attitude A position where the body is supported on one leg whilst the other is raised knee bent, often with the corresponding arm raised also.

Avant, en Used to describe any motion to the front.

Ballerina In modern usage ballerina is a term descriptive of any female ballet dancer. It began however, as term of rank applied only to an exceptional soloist in a company. In turn the very best of these might eventually attain the even more exalted rank of 'Prima Ballerina'.

Ballon The quality of weightlessness. Describes any part of a performer where the dancer appears to float effortlessy through the air with only fleeting contact with the ground.

Battement An extension and return of the leg. Batterie Part of a jump where the feet are beaten together whilst the dancer is in the air.

Bourrée A rapid sequence of short steps en pointe.

Changement de Pieds A jump beginning and ending in F5 but with the positions of the feet reversed.

Cambré To bend the body from the waist.

Chassé A sliding movement transferring the weight from one foot to the other or from both feet to one.

Ciseaux A movement opening the legs into a wide F2, sometimes as part of a jump.

Corps de Ballet The chorus of a ballet company. Coryphée A dancer who ranks above a member of the corps de ballet but below a soloist and who normally performs in small ensembles.

Danseur Noble A principal male dancer.

Dedans, en Used to describe any motion made inward, toward the body.

Dehors, en Used to describe any motion made outward, away from the body.

Développé A smooth extending of the leg in any direction.

Divertissement A short dance which is not based upon any plot.

Entrechat A jump beginning and ending with the feet in F5 and being rapidly crossed and uncrossed whilst in the air.

Fouetté A turn on one foot, usually executed on pointe, wherein the dancer thrusts out with the free leg using the inertia of the leg to propel the body in the opposite direction.

Glissade A sliding step. Beginning in F5 one leg is advanced to transition to F2 whereupon the other leg is drawn after to return to F2.

Jeté A leap, thrusting off from one foot and landing on the other.

Pas A step.

Pas de Bourrée A series of swift miniature steps carried out on pointe or demi-pointe.

Pas de Deux A dance for two, a duet.

Pas Seul A solo dance.

Passé A movement, balancing on one leg, where the pointed foot of the free leg is drawn past the knee of the supporting leg.

Pirouette To spin on foot, usually en pointe. The head is held facing in one direction whilst the body turns, only snapping around almost at the completion of the turn. Pirouette's performed solo are generally rapid, whilst those udertaken whilst supported by a partner can be very slow.

Plié To lower the body by bending both knees in any of the five standard foot positions.

Pointe, en To balance, or take steps, on the end of the toes (not on the balls of the first toe joints but on the very tips of the toes themselves).

Port de bras The movement or position of the arms.

Relevé To rise onto pointe.

Rond de jambe A circular movement of the leg. Sauté A jump.

Tour A turn or revolution.

Tour en L'Air A jump, starting and ending in F5, and involving one or more complete turns in the air. Usually performed by male dancers.

Turn Out The basis of the five standard foot positions, to turn both feet out 90% from the hip. Training to acheive this position without strain gives the dancer maxim mobility.