Ballet has a rich tradition spanning more than 400 years. Over the course of it's history, it has gone through constant innovation and experimentation that has resulted in tried and true practices for the art of dance. The techniques codified in Ballet syllabi around the world reflect the most effective means of executing dance steps in the context of the syllabus' development. While one cannot deny that all Ballet has its roots in Italy by way of France, it cannot also be denied that tried and true principles are retained by the different syllabi regardless of its origin.
Today we deal with the basic foot positions in Classical Ballet. These are the positions from which we start all other gestures and movements. There are 5 positions universally accepted by all Ballet syllabi from which turned out feet can move.
First Position
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| 1st Position |
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| !st Position Top View |
This position is aptly called the first position because it is the very first position with turned out feet that is taught to young dancers. To achieve this, the dancer is taught to line up her feet together toes pointing forward then have her open these up into the widest letter "V" she can form. The heels remain together and the knees are straight. Some teachers, like myself, refer to this as "smiling feet". I even go to the point of having the children smile and wave at their feet. Some dancers push themselves to form a straight line from the toes of one foot to the other. This causes unnecessary strain on the knees in terms on torsion and is hard to balance with. Others lift their little toes putting pressure on the big toes. All toes must be on the floor to avoid any distortions of the toes due to bad habits. The wide "V" with all toes on the floor is the safest way of executing this position.
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| Improper 1st Position - Lifted little toe |
Second Position
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| 2nd Position |
This position retains the same orientation of the feet in first position with the exception that the feet as 1 -1.5 shoe sizes apart. Anything wider or narrower than that spacing may result in injury or a diminished quality of dance step execution. Second position is normally used to transition into big jumps or turns. It is also used by male dancers to support or transition into lifts.
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| 2nd Position Top View |
Third Position
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| 3rd Position |
Third position is not commonly used in Classical Ballet choreography. It is often used as a transition step to train the young dancer to overlap one foot in front of the other. It retains the same feet orientation as First position but this time, the heel of one foot is right in front of the middle of the instep of the other foot.
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| 3rd Position Top View |
Fifth Position
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| 5th Position |
I move straight to Fifth position as I am following the way I teach the feet positions to my students. When the young dancer becomes comfortable with putting her feet in a proper third position, it is time to introduce Fifth position. The general concept is for one foot to entirely cover the other foot, the heel of one foot connected to the toes of the other. This is to be done while keeping the knees straight and all toes on the floor. It is permissible to have a gap between the little toe of the front foot and the heel of the back foot if the dancer is unable to keep the little toe pressed down on the floor. This is an indication that there is significant torsion on the lower leg which may result to injuries on the foot (bunions) or the knees (ligament tears, etc.). The photo below shows the dancer is still working on turning out her leg properly. Fifth position is probably the most utilized among the basic positions in Classical Ballet choreography.
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| 5th Position Top View |
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Fourth Position
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| 4th Position |
The last position is Fourth position. It is very similar to Fourth position, with the exception that there is a 1 shoe size gap between the front foot and back foot. A variant of this is an Open Fourth which is more of a Third position with a 1 shoe size separation between the feet. Fourth is best known as the preparation position for Pirouettes.
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| 4th Position Side View |
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| 4th Position Top View |
In general, the proper execution of these position will result in unnecessary torsion and stress on the foot and knees which are very critical areas in a Dancer's physique. By putting forth these concepts, I do how the young dancers and their parents get a better picture of how to correct themselves when doing these positions.
( Video will be up as soon as I fix issues with it....Apologies)
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Dancers in photos: Angel Grace Baesa, Ma. Clare Assumpta Sison
Dancers in videos: Francesca Faith Walde, Precious Marian Gabrielle Macali, Serafina Claire Villar
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