The Ballet Bible

Ballet Lesson 3 of 7: Plie en Premiere

The position in this photograph is a deviation of first position and is again a basic movement. For this movement to be executed properly, the free arm (that which is not resting on the barre for support) should be held gracefully in front of the body. The elbow must be lifted, and not allowed to cling to the waist of the dancer. The little finger should at no time touch the outside of the thigh, rather it should ideally be held 2-4 inches away. The arm should be held in a way that looks graceful to the observer, and not as if the dancer is applying a great deal of thought to its positioning. It is important that during a plie the dancer is completely conscious of what they are doing at all times.

The main problems with the Plie en Premiere are as illustrated by the dancer in the photograph above, the rolling forward of the ankles, and the protrusion of the derriere. The remedies for these faults are similar to those which are outlined in the above section. The even and educated distribution of weight across the dancer’s toes has also been discussed within the guide. The exercises used to correct these faults within this guide can generally be applied to most movements.

A plie must be performed in a controlled manner. Many dancers develop problems with their plies when they endeavour to dance in a manner to match the ability of another dancer within their class or school or if they attempt to match their skill level to that of their dancing idol, and not to their own. It is important that a dancer follows the music rather than follows any other member of the class, or any diagram. The body knows how far it is capable of moving down in a plie, and there is no need to force it. A demi plie which is controlled, and not in anyway forced looks much smoother and more aesthetically pleasing to an audience than a Grande plie in which the derriere, knees, ankles, and the top of the body aren’t closely kept in check.

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September 23, 2006 | In Tips | No Comments

Ballet Lesson 2 of 7: First Position

First position is shown in this picture. First position is instrumental as it is this position with which many ballet movements both commence and conclude, in addition to being the first position taught to a young ballerina. This position involves both the knees and the heels being kept close together, the legs are turned out from the hips, with the toes pointed outward. Ideally, if performed correctly the feet should form a straight line, or 180 degree angle, when viewed from above. However it is important that this turn comes from the hips, and that the turn out is in no way forced, as this places undue stress upon the hip, knee and ankle joints, all of which are at a high risk of injury in ballet. The arms are either curved softly in front of the body, or in practise one hand may rest upon the barre to provide extra stability to the learning dancer, as is featured in the above photograph.

When being performed correctly, in first position, the spine should be straight with the head, back and pelvis all aligned. It is this area where the dancer in the photograph is having the most trouble. We are shown the dancer’s derriere is protruding, upsetting the straight spinal column that should exist. However this is a common mistake of an inexperienced dancer and one that in many cases is easy to rectify.

Often a derriere which appears to be sticking out can be altered by the dancer merely tilting their pelvis slightly forward, as this is the area where the spine feels most comfortable if slightly curved. With practise, ensuring that the pelvis remains in line with the rest of the spine becomes second nature for a ballerina. It is also possible that there may be a lack of flexibility in the muscles along the spine and in the abdominals, and the turn out may be forced, these are the main reason behind why the dancer is having trouble keeping the straight line.

The key to correcting this lies with practise in keeping the spine straight and in completing extra exercises to strengthen the muscles involved. A great form of exercise is Pilates, which is designed to engage and exercise the core muscles. Pilates works in a way which doesn’t make the muscles appear bulky after they have been worked out, and focuses on increasing the body’s stability and balance.

Also the photograph shows the ankles of the dancer rolling forward. This is another fault of the inexperienced dancer. There are four main reasons why the ankles roll forward. These being the uneven distribution of weight across the toes, upsetting the general balance of the lower body, The early introduction of pointe shoes, with the dancers feet and ankles not being ready to progress through to this level, or the dancer having weak muscles in the lower leg, and ankles, or even there is a possible problem with the dancers turn out which is being displayed through a rolling of the ankles.

Before pointe shoes may be introduced it is essential that the dancer has mastered flat slippers and demi pointe shoes, this is an indication that both strength and technique are at a level high enough for this type of shoe. If a dancer is forced to move to a shoe that is too advanced for his or her ability, the muscles in the leg and foot will attempt to make the shoe more comfortable by moving other parts of the body to compensate for the

It is important that the dancer is conscious of how the weight rests on his or her foot. The weight should rest evenly over the first three toes rather than on either of the end toes. However, many dancers find that by resting the weight on the first three toes, they are still experiencing a rolling forward of the ankle, in this case it is important that the dancer distributes the weight over all five toes. This is merely a case of trial and error as the foot shape varies from dancer to dancer and as such there is no completely fool proof method of weight distribution. The one thing to be careful of is distributing too much of the weight, over the last two toes, and forcing the ankle to roll the other way. The only way to find the correct positioning through the feet is to practise and determine what works best for the individual.

The turning out of the feet should come from the hips, if the feet are turned out more than the hips are capable of or if the turnout is not coming from the hips, this may be a good reason why the ankle is rolling. To fix this it is important that the dancer learns how to turnout from the hips. An easy way to do this is through the visualisation of the entire leg turning from inside the hip joint. A correct turn out is also a great preventative measure for leg and hip injuries.

One of the most worthwhile exercises to control the rolling of the ankle and helping to prevent it is to consciously feel the placement of the weight on the foot, and slowly move through the five main positions remaining conscious of the weight placement and in control of the foot. Rather than just be a technique problem which disturbs the aesthetic appeal of ballet, ankles rolling forward can cause painful bunions. Excessive rolling forward of the ankles may also cause a weakening of the ligaments and tendons within the ankles, and as such cut short a dancers career, and cause problems in their everyday life.

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September 21, 2006 | In Tips | 16 Comments

Ballet Lesson 1 of 7: Holding Your Arms in 5th Position

The diagram at the left shows the Fifth position or Cinquième of the arms en haut. Fifth position is important when learning ballet as it provides a basis for many other arm movements. This involves lifting the arms above the head and having them form a soft oval shape in the air referred to as en courenne or being crown like, the palms facing down toward the top of the head, or away from the audience, and the finger tips not touching. There is generally one important point to remember with any arm position but especially with fifth and that is to take care that the shoulders remain down. Hunching of the shoulders upsets the arms during fifth position, and ruins the movement. The shoulders are one of the main faults of the dancer pictured in the photograph, as her shoulder blades are too flat.

Flat shoulder blades during Cinquième make the position seem ill practiced and careless. It is important that although the shoulders need to appear to the audience to be soft and refined, the dancer must be conscious of holding them in a way that feels squared, as this will add definition and make them appear sharp. The key to holding the whole of the arms, including the shoulder blades in their correct position is to ensure that the neck is gracefully elongated. The top half of the body including the shoulders will then fall into place.

When the arms are in fifth position, the entire arm should look elongated and graceful. This means that the whole of the arms from the shoulders to the finger tips need to appear as though they are all working together toward the final position. No one area should dominate the others and each has an equal role in forming the final crown. This is achieved through dedicating time to the weaker parts of the arms, hands and shoulders to ensure that they have an equal ability to achieve the final position.

In order to elongate the wrists it is important that the muscles within the wrist are strong and flexible. Often the majority of attention is dedicated to the muscles within the dancer’s legs, with those in the arms being neglected. The mark of a good ballerina is however to have an evenly toned body, with no single part dominating. Further to this the fingers should be pointed. When learning the correct positioning for the arms in fifth position many dancers find it useful to imagine a piece of string running the full length of the arm, to the finger tips, and this piece of string being pulled thus extending the entire arm.

Fifth position is often used as the mark of a dancer’s ability. When the arms are raised in the air above the head, there is no way to hide any faults or imperfections from the audience. For this reason fifth position is the one in which the dancer feels the most vulnerable. Therefore care should be taken to ensure that all elements to this position are being performed correctly.

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September 19, 2006 | In Tips | 5 Comments