COMPONENTS OF CLASSICAL BALLET
- Positions (Legs and Arms)
- Posture
- Direction Numbering/Body Alignment
- How to tie Ballet Shoe Ribbons
POSITIONS
Legs
REMEMBER
- The amount that you can turn your feet sideways in any position will depend on how much you can turn your thigh outwards at the hip joint so that your knee is facing the same way as your foot. (the hip joint is where your leg is joined to your body.) Never Push you foot beyond the knee as this is cheating and it will cause problems later on.
- Your turnout can be improved with practice !
Arms
GOOD POSTURE
A dancer must always think about the way he or she is standing, for nothing will work correctly unless the body is held upright with the weight over the feet and without any sagging arching in the spine. (the bony column that runs up an down the back, on top of which the head is poised.) It takes time to achieve this correct posture and so, although it will not always be mentioned in each exercise, you must think about it all the time during class or when you are practicing alone.
DIRECTION NUMBERING
As we dance we pretend we are inside an imaginary box.
Imagine that you are standing in the box . . .
Can you figure out where all the numbers are?
BODY ALIGNMENT
All movement and dance poses are taken in a body alignment related to the audience.