Ballet dancing is a way of channeling artistic talent while expressing oneself through movement. Ballet is a dance that is formed from a series of basic movements. If you want to dance ballet, learn how to do the 5 basic hand and foot positions. Then, you can practice the plié and relevé movements. Join a ballet class for beginners so you can dance ballet with proper posture and technique. Take the time to master basic ballet moves by practicing at home regularly.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Mastering Basic Ballet Positions
Step 1. Learn how to do first position
Many people think that this position is the easiest. Start practicing by standing straight with your feet together. Make sure the heels touch each other. Then, point the soles of the feet forward so that their position is perpendicular to the torso. Keeping your heels together, rotate your feet outward to form a straight line parallel to your shoulders so that your quads are facing out and your calves are facing in. Currently, you are doing first position.
- Make sure both feet start from the thighs until the toes are facing in the opposite direction so that the soles of the feet form a straight line on the floor and the heels are in the middle.
- The position of the hands when doing the first position looks like holding a volleyball in front of the upper stomach. Spread your palms apart so that they are about 10 cm between the tips of your fingers. Raise your palms slightly toward your face so that your hands are in front of your upper stomach.
Step 2. Continue by learning how to do the second position
The way to do the second position is the same as the first position, but this time, the heels are not brought together. Make sure the direction of the two feet starts from the thigh until the toes are opposite each other and the soles of the feet form a straight line on the floor parallel to the shoulders.
The second and first position arm positions are almost the same. The difference is that the distance between the two palms when doing the second position is wider than the first position because this time you stretch your palms until they are above your toes while bending your elbows slightly. Bend your wrists slightly towards your stomach
Step 3. Make the transition to the third position
Before practicing the third position, prepare yourself by doing the first position. After positioning the soles of the feet in opposite directions, move one foot in front of the other. Touch the heel of the front foot to the inside of the back foot and bring your feet together from the thigh to the calf.
The third arm position is a combination of the first and second positions. First of all, do the first arm position. Then, do the second arm position by extending one arm to the side, but do not change the position of the other arm
Step 4. Spread your feet apart to do the fourth position
Prepare yourself by doing the first position and then move one foot in front of the other with a distance of 10-13 cm. Make sure the soles of the feet are parallel and in opposite directions. Make sure the toes and the heel of the other foot form a perpendicular line with the sole of the foot.
- Different from the other positions, the feet do not touch each other when doing the fourth position. However, placing the soles of the feet correctly when doing the fourth position is quite difficult. So, learn the technique by searching for photos through websites or watching video tutorials.
- After positioning the legs correctly, continue to learn the fourth position arm position. First of all, do the first arm position. Lift one arm up while bending the elbow slightly. Bring your palms down and keep them above your head.
Step 5. Learn how to do fifth position as the last position
The fifth position foot position is almost the same as the fourth position, but the distance is closer. After doing the fourth position, bring the soles of the feet together so that they are only 2-3 cm apart.
- Same with the fourth position foot posture, point the thighs, knees, and soles of the feet outward without bending the knees. Make sure your legs are straight by activating your leg muscles and straightening your knees.
- The fifth position hand only continues the fourth position by raising the lower hand above the head. Make sure there is space between the tips of your fingers so they don't touch.
Method 2 of 3: Studying Other Moves
Step 1. Continue the first position by doing a plié
Plié is the most basic movement in ballet dance. Start practicing the plié movement by doing the first position. Then, bend your knees slowly until your knees are over your big toes. Maintain this posture for 1 second and then apply the strength of your leg muscles to stand up straight and quickly and gracefully while keeping your body straight. The plié ends once you return to the first position.
- Maintain proper posture when performing pliés by pressing your heels into the floor while straightening your back and straightening your body. Activate the quadriceps as you move down. Activate your glutes and calves as you move up.
- Plié is a movement to start and end the jump movement when dancing ballet. Therefore, you do not need to straighten both knees after doing the plié. The force exerted to raise the upper body is the source of strength for jumping and pirouettes.
- There are 2 ways to do plié. For beginners, do it for the sake of plié according to the explanation above. After you've mastered the demi plié, you can perform the grand plié by bending your knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Step 2. Perform the tentu as a transition between positions
Tendu or battement tendu is a posture that makes changes in position uninterrupted. In preparation, do the fifth position while straightening both knees and activating the leg muscles. Extend the front leg, touch the floor with the tips of your toes, then return the foot to the starting position.
- Once both feet are back in fifth position, slide one leg out to the side without bending the knee, touch the floor with the tips of your toes, then pull back on the stationary leg to return to the starting position.
- End the tendon by bringing your back leg back, touching your toes to the floor, then returning to the starting position. At this time, the stationary leg is in front so you can practice the tendon with the other leg.
Step 3. Perform relevé on tiptoe
Relevé is a basic ballet movement that is always taught to beginners in ballet courses. Start practicing relevé by doing the first position and holding the barre in one hand. Activate your calf muscles to lift your heels off the floor until you are standing on the front of your feet. After holding on for a moment, slowly lower your heels to the floor while relaxing your calves.
- Relevé is the basic movement for pointing, but beginners should not do this move while resting on their toes. When practicing relevé, they should do the demi pointe on tiptoe using the front of the foot.
- If you've practiced long enough, you can combine plié and relevé. First, do the plié, then activate the leg muscles to tiptoe to do the relevé.
Step 4. Do the basic sauté move when you're ready to learn to jump
This movement is usually done by beginners when practicing simple small jumps. Start practicing sauté from the first position. Perform a plié by bending your knees, pressing your heels into the floor, then using the strength of your leg muscles to push your body up so you can jump higher. Straighten both legs when jumping. You must bend both knees to plié on landing.
- When you practice, you usually sauté several times in a row. Get into the habit of practicing sauté by doing this movement at least 5 times to get better at how to jump and land in a plié position while moving. You'll need to plié when you land to absorb impact and protect your knee joint.
- The plié to sauté is the same as the plié to relevé, but you have to use more force to jump. The additional energy makes the body ejected upwards.
- Sauté, which means to jump, is usually combined with other positions, such as sauté arabesque to make a specific jump.
- After mastering this movement, do the saute as a transition movement from the first position to the second position.
Method 3 of 3: Practice Ballet Regularly
Step 1. Buy a barre so you can practice at home
A barre is a long stick for maintaining balance when warming up or practicing a new move. Mount the barre on the wall at waist level or slightly higher. You can buy barre on websites or sports supply stores. Also, you can make a barre out of PVC pipe by attaching support posts at both ends.
- Beginners need a solid barre to maintain balance while practicing to improve technique and build muscle memory.
- Usually, a barre for ballet dancing consists of 2 parallel sticks mounted on a wall. The pole below is 80 cm from the floor. The pole above is 100 cm from the floor.
- In addition to setting up a barre at home, you can practice in a ballet studio if the room is empty. Maybe you need to pay for the rent for the room and the equipment available, including the barre, at a relatively low cost.
Step 2. Do port de bras every day
Port de bras is one of the first exercises for beginners to master how to perform ballet positions and movements with the correct technique. Set aside time each day to practice hand and foot positions as described above. In addition, you need to master the position of the hands according to the following instructions:
- En avant (forward). Extend your arms in front of you at shoulder height and bend your elbows slightly to make it look like a circle. Bring your palms to your chest and close your fingers, but don't touch them.
- En haut (above). From an en avant position, raise your arms up without raising your shoulders, then hold on for a moment. Let your elbows bend slightly and spread your fingers slightly apart.
- En bass (down). From the en haut position, slowly lower your hands while moving them until your hands are in front of your thighs. Point your palms up, bend your elbows slightly, and spread your fingers slightly apart. Then, raise your hands to the en avant position and repeat these three movements from the beginning for about 5 minutes.
Step 3. Perform leg position exercises every day after practicing port de bras
Whether you're taking ballet lessons or practicing yourself at home, make sure you do all the basic ballet positions in front of a mirror for at least 15 minutes every day.
- When doing a certain position, hold on for a few seconds to check your posture and correct it if needed.
- Do not despair if the position of the feet and hands is not perfect. You need a lot of time to master ballet moves until you can do them perfectly. Practice diligently because this position is the foundation for doing many of the other basic ballet moves.
Step 4. Take a beginner's ballet course to make sure you're doing the correct posture or position
Whether you want to become a professional ballet dancer or simply develop your talent, beginners need the guidance of an instructor. While home practice can be very beneficial, only a ballet teacher can improve your technique and help you improve your skills.
- Attend an open house held by a ballet studio to find out the competence and teaching style of each ballet teacher.
- Make sure you choose the most suitable teacher. Maybe you will practice for a long time with the same teacher because ballet is very difficult to learn. Find a ballet teacher who can guide you and keep you motivated to improve.
- Even if you're good at dancing in different genres, make sure you join a beginner's class if you want to learn ballet. Ballet technique is very high, while other dances do not necessarily make you able to dance ballet. The instructor will let you know when you are ready for a class.
Tips
- In addition to practicing ballet moves, try to find information about ballet dance by reading articles and watching videos. The more you know about the techniques and theories that underlie each move, the better your dance will be.
- Do not give up. Get ready for a very long journey to become a ballet dancer. So don't expect your moves to be perfect right away if you're just starting out.
- When doing a pirouette, imagine that you are moving up, instead of turning. These tips are useful for maintaining balance and correct posture.
Warning
- Beginners should not do pointe or wear pointe shoes because it is very dangerous if the technique is wrong. The ballet teacher will let you know when you can do the pointe.
- Do not force yourself to maintain a position or perform certain movements. Muscle strength and flexibility to perform certain positions or movements need to be increased little by little. Allow muscle memory to build gradually so you don't get injured.
