The Ballet Bible
Discover the Secrets to Conquering Some of The Most Common Pitfalls You Face When Learning Ballet
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. You can find out more in The Complete Ballet Bible Package September 21, 2006 | In Tips | 16 Comments16 Comments »RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment |
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This website is awesome!!! especially the first position thing….
except u guys should get skinnier models…. no offense
Comment by Julia — September 23, 2006 #
@ Julia: Why?
Comment by Kaat_E — September 26, 2006 #
Excuse me??? First of all, as if this girl is not going to be offended, she is beautiful the way she is and she does not need to be any thinner. I hate that some people are so narrow-minded when it comes to the size of a dancer. Although i am naturally thin, my sister is not and she is an awesome dancer and nobody could take their eyes off her when she danced.
Comment by ashley — November 17, 2006 #
HELLO Julia,
Do you know what it would feel like if somebody said that to you. My grandma was told that she was over wieght by her school teacher and now my Grandmother is so skinny shes on her death bed. theres a thing called being nice you know. and maybe you sould get that threw your mind. ding dong.
Comment by Nancy — March 6, 2007 #
The Models areches are rolling foreward, and her back is pretty curved.
Comment by cna;lalioewoewcmvnvlkanldkj;gl — May 4, 2007 #
I think that is the point. If you read it, it is pointing out the arched back, feet rolling forward, etc. saying that these are common mistakes beginners make.
Comment by Skye — May 4, 2007 #
in the proffessional world of ballet its true, the dancers should be smaller, but this is just a website! everyone should be able to show they can dance! and i think she is beautiful, especially her turn out!
Comment by Tatiana — June 15, 2007 #
i am a 57 year old woman who finally has the guts to fulfill a dream I have had since I was very young…to take ballet lessons. I am short, frumpy and wrinkled. should I not be pursuing my dream?
Comment by mary — February 5, 2008 #
it is the persuit of perfection that makes a good dancer, there are flaws in everyone in everything they do. it’s the willingness to learn and the eagerness to improve that creates an excellent person or dancer, integrity intact.
Comment by Tamara — February 19, 2008 #
Mary, go for it. I’m 47 and I’ll be having my first ballet lesson on February 23. Enjoy yours! I plan to enjoy mine. I’ll never be a ballerina, and I’ll probably never be able to progress far enough to do pointe work, but my body will benefit and so will my self!
Comment by Liz — February 20, 2008 #
Building Mucle…
Building Mucle…
Trackback by Anonymous — March 24, 2008 #
you are so awesome your 47 and still trying . i guess old lady can try .but im 11 years old and i have been a ballerina for 6 years .
good luck : )
Comment by ke ke 0 : ) — April 9, 2008 #
hate to burst your bubble buddy but the term “ballerina” is used only for someone who has reached the very top in the ballet world. someone who is the best at what they can do and at this particular artform. it takes many many years to accomplish!! they require to have all the grace, control and fluidity classical dancers require to captivate an audience with only subtle and simple movements. unfortunetly for young girls these days this particular term is thrown around carelessly and without true and pure meaning.
Comment by tamara — April 17, 2008 #
that girl is NOT big.
But beyond that this scares me that this photo is the “basis” for ballet training. 1st. position. her feet are WAY too over turned. the back of your feet can be at 180. NOT the front. no one needs to turn out to a full 18- either. And i dont know what kind of shoe she is wearing but it looks like a “sole-less” shoe with strange criss cross elastic. it is best to train in a full sole shoe with a single strap to strengthen the foot.
Then the arm, it is not lengthened enough which causes her to look shorter and rounder. this goes for everyone, i don’t care what shape you are. lengthen your arms at all time.
please DO NOT buy this program if you have never taken ballet before. make sure to have a good foundation under the careful eye of an instructor.
Comment by sarah — May 1, 2008 #
hi all,
I think ballet can have different faces.
As for people who want to become prfessional dancers… lets be true… the will never-ever check on a website course.And if talented they also need the “right body” and in that case this nice little lady would be sincerely bulky or fat. But I guess this is for people who admire ballet without any need to bring it to perfection or profession, just as the nice lady who wrote.
Hey, I think it is a lovely way to improve Your muscles and add grace to Your posure…
So pointing to that aim, I think the girl is a nice “one-of-the-crowd” of non-professionals who would like to come close to the “little ballerina dream”
And hey,,, I am 167cm and weigh 55 kg and I am too fat too for dancing… in fact I try to cut down… but I need that for stage reasons…
Comment by nicole — May 14, 2008 #
Uhmm excuse me guyz yung mga cooment sa taas why are you fighting by the way im a ballet dancer so iknow wat it feels ashley and Nancy are correct judging people is not good so just end this fight pls…
Comment by JONa — August 7, 2009 #