Ballet dancers move with such effortless grace that the audience doesn't realize how much work has gone into perfecting each minute detail of movement and posture. In fact, there's quite a bit to it. You can begin by learning the ballet positions. Here we will talk about fifth position.Some people think that fifth position is a stylized and uncomfortable way of arranging the feet. In fifth position, one foot is directly in front of the other with both of feet pointing outward. However, like all the dance positions, fifth position involves posture and arm attitude as well. In this exercise we'll get into fifth position from first position, which is the place to start when learning ballet positions.
Instructions
1. Take off your shoes. To develop your fifth position technique, your feet will need freedom to move. Ballet dancers wear ballet slippers. You can wear socks or, if you prefer, bare feet will work just fine.
2. Place a high back chair in front of a full-length mirror, slightly to the side. Stand next to the chair so that you are in the center of the mirror. You can rest a hand lightly on the back of the chair for balance if you feel unsteady on your feet. If you don't need the chair, don't use it.
3. Imagine that a string extends from your tailbone, up through your spine and out the top of your skull. Imagine that the string is pulled taut from the top, straightening your spine and making you taller.
4. Imagine that a brick is resting on each shoulder, pressing them downward, but not forward. Turn sideways to your full-length mirror. Your shoulders should not be pulled to the front of your body. Concentrate on pulling your shoulders back, but not up, to straighten the line of your spine. This will probably be uncomfortable, if you are doing it right.
5. Arrange your feet so that your heels are touching (or so that your calves are touching, if your legs are very muscular) and your feet form a 90-degree angle, like a V. Your legs should be turned out at the hip, not at the ankle or knee. This may also be somewhat uncomfortable until you are used to it, but it should not hurt your knee or hip joints. As you become more proficient at fifth position, and more limber, you'll be able to increase the turn-out of your feet.
6. Tighten your buttocks, down low toward the crotch, as if you were trying to hold a coin between them. This will cause your pelvis to tuck inward, lessening the S curve of your lower spine. You can actually try this with a coin if you are alone, or not embarrassed to do this in a crowd.
7. Position your arms. Face the mirror. With your shoulders still down and back and your arms hanging straight down, raise your elbows away from your sides about 3 inches. Your arms should form a very gentle arch from your shoulders to the end of your fingertips. Ideally, the bend of your elbow should be as indistinct as possible so that the curve of your arm is continuous. This arm position is called “en bas.” Other arm positions (“en avant” which means “in front" and “en haut” which means up high) are also used in fifth position, but for this exercise we'll leave them en bas.
8. Position your hands. Changing nothing else about the posture you have just assumed, relax your hands from the wrist down (not the elbow). Your forefinger will naturally be raised a little higher than the other fingers. Your thumb will be approximately parallel to your palm. Your remaining fingers will be curved naturally, with your pinkie finger resting against your thigh. You are now in first position, with arms en bas.
9. Maintaining your posture, and keeping your legs straight, slide the ball of your left foot outward to the side until your toe is pointed, but still touching the ground. Remember, keep your butt tight; your hips and pelvis should not move while performing fifth position.
10. Slide the heel of your left foot back toward the big toe of your right foot. At the same time, gradually press your left heel back onto the ground, until your heel is actually touching the big toe of your right foot. While doing this, keep the toe of your left foot on the ground and turned out as much as you can. You may look down and find that your feet are not ideally parallel, one flat against the other, like all those famous pictures of ballet dancer feet in fifth position. That's okay. The angle at which your feet are positioned will depend upon how limber you are, and how well your legs turn-out at the hip. Your fifth position turn-out will improve with practice.
11. Check your posture again. While concentrating on proper fifth position for your feet, you might have pulled your shoulders up, pushed your head forward, or let your pelvis and rear end relax. Put all your parts back in line, as described in Steps 3, 4, 5 and 6. Now you are properly in fifth position and ready to dance! (Note that fifth position can be performed with either foot in front.)
