Romantic Time Period 1820 1900 Peter Tchaikovsky Great

Romantic Time Period (1820 -1900)

Peter Tchaikovsky Great Russian composer living during Romantic Time Period Wrote 3 of the most notable ballets of all time The Nutcracker Swan The Lake Sleeping Beauty

Ballet

5 Basic Ballet Positions When you begin learning ballet, one of the first things you will learn is the five basic ballet positions. They are important because every basic move in ballet begins and ends in one of the five positions. Proper body alignment and good posture are necessary when learning these moves, which are simply named first position, second position, third position, fourth position and fifth position.

First Position Feet In first position, the balls of the feet are turned out completely. The heels touch each other and the feet face outward, trying to form a straight line.

Second Position Feet The balls of both feet are turned out completely, with the heels separated by the length of one foot. Similar to first position, but the feet are spread apart.

Third Position Feet One foot is in front of the other with the of the front foot touching the middle of the back foot.

Fourth Position Feet The feet are placed the same as third position, but one step apart.

Fifth Position Feet With both feet touching, the toes of each foot reaches the heel of the other

st 1 Position Arms This is the main Ballet position of the arms for beginners. Keep your arms nice and relaxed, and roughly the width of your face apart. Your hands shouldn't be touching your thighs. Keep them just an inch or so in front of you.

nd 2 Position Arms Your arms out to the side should form a smooth line. Don't do the 'Dead Bird' thing here. Your elbows should be facing the back of the room. Extend your hand comfortably and keep it relaxed – no pointing!

3 rd Position Arms This is bringing one arm only in front of you, leaving the other in second position. open them.

4 th Position Arms This is one arm raised and one arm in second. The arm that is raised should be opposite to the foot you have in front. So if your right foot is in front, you raise your left arm.

5 th Position Arms Finally, raise both arms. As with all these positions, make sure that it is your arms that are raised, and NOT your shoulders. Arms should be look smooth with your elbows and hands softly rounded (and definitely no pointing). You are executing Ballet positions, not directing traffic!

Let’s Practice!

Plié Literally "bent". A smooth and continuous bending of the knees Demi Plié Grand Plié

Releve Literally "lifted". Rising from any position to balance on one or both feet on at least demi-pointe which is heels off the floor or higher to full pointe where the dancer is actually balancing on the top of the toes, supported in pointe shoes. Smoothly done in some versions, a quick little leap up in other schools. 1 st or 5 th Position

Arabesque indicates a position of the body where the dancer stands on one leg, while the other leg is extended behind the body, with both knees straight. The arabesque position can be performed with the supporting leg and foot either en pointe, demi pointe or on a flat foot.

Sauté means “to hop” in French. This term is added to the name of a step to indicate that the step is performed while jumping.

Piroutte body spin when dancing: a spin of the body, especially one performed in ballet on tiptoe or on the ball of one foot