Things to know before your first dance class

Before you were to start even understanding the basics of any form of dance you need to know the five basic feet position and the five basic arm positions.

The basic five ballet positions were created in the 1600's by a French ballet teacher whose name was Beauchamps. These arm and leg positions helped the dancers to balance while still looking graceful. Most ballet steps and combinations begin with one of the basic positions.

The feet and arm positions coincide with each other. The names are, first position, second position, third position, fourth position and fifth position.

First Position:
The feet are aligned and touching heel to heel, making
as nearly a straight alignment as possible. The knees
are also touching with legs straightened. In beginners'
classes, most exercises at the barre start from first position

Second Position:The feet are aligned as in first
position, but with heels spaced approximately
twelve inches apart. The term seconde generally
means to or at the side.

Third Position: One foot is placed in front of the other
so that the heel of the front foot is near the arch of the back
foot. There are two third positions, depending on which foot
is in front. In beginners' classes this is a transition position in
the progress to fifth position, or when a dancer is physically
incapable of a fifth position (especially in adult beginners' classes)

Open and Closed Fourth Position:

There are two types of fourth position:
open and closed. In both cases, one foot

is placed approximately twelve inches

in front of the other. In open fourth
the heels are aligned, while in closed
forth the position of the front foot is
aligned with the toe of the back foot.
There are two variations of each type
of fourth position, as determined by which
foot is in front. The first picture is open,
and the second is closed fourth.

Fifth Position: One foot is placed in front of,
and in contact with the other, with the heel of
one foot aligned with the toe of the other foot.
There are two fifth positions, depending on
which foot is in front.




There are also five basic arm position. But these aren't as easy to show due to the fact that they are different in each type of ballet, meaning Russian to French schools, there is also the Cecchetti method.