Terms & Positions

Positions of the Arms

Ballet’s major training systems all use Beauchamps’s original five positions of the feet and, for the most part, the same French terminology. On the most fundamental aspects of technique there is no disagreement.

However, the schools do diverge on, among other things, which arm positions are codified and how they are identified. In some cases there are variants along with “official” positions. Sometimes two or even more terms exist for the same position.

Hands and Wrists

Hands and wrists should be relaxed and natural, flowing along with the arm, with space between the fingers.

Head and Gaze

Head and gaze should be coordinated with the port de bras. It makes all the difference between confident, expressive dancing and dancing that looks clueless or robotic.

Shapes and Distance

The oval shape the arms make when they are both over head is exactly the same shape they make when in front of the body and when lowered in bras bas. Men maintain slightly more distance between the fingertips (about the width of the face), than do women (about the width of two fingertips).

	Bournonville: Bras Bas Cecchetti: Fifth en Bas French: De Départ, Preparation, Au Repos, or Première en Bas R.A.D.: Bras Bas Soviet Russian: Preparatory Position
	Bournonville: First Position Cecchetti: First Position
	Bournonville: Bras Arrondis Devant or First Position en Avant Cecchetti: Fifth Position en Avant French: First Position R.A.D.: First Position Soviet Russian: First Position
	Bournonville: Demi-seconde R.A.D.: Demi-seconde^* Not an official position, but it’s called Demi-seconde of Allegro when the palms face the body and Demi-seconde of Adagio when the palms are higher and face slightly upward. ^? For women, the fingertips should just touch the edge of the tutu. The R.A.D also uses a similar position called demi-bras, in which the arms are more in front of the body and the palms face upward as if offering.
	Bournonville: Bras à la Ligne or Second Position Cecchetti: Second Position French: Second Position R.A.D.: Second Position Soviet Russian: Second Position^* *men hold the arms at shoulder height, women slightly lower
	Bournonville: Third Position Low Cecchetti: Fourth Position en Avant^* French: Third Position^? R.A.D.: Third Position^‡ Soviet: Small Pose * Cecchetti Third Position, not shown, is like this but both arms are lower—one en bas, one demi-seconde. ? Not an official position but sometimes called “Sixth” ^{‡ In Third and both Fourth Positions, the R.A.D. distinguishes between regular positions and those “in opposition,” depending on which foot is front or is working. “In opposition” is when the working foot or the front foot corresponds to the arm that is out to the side, or in Fourth Crossed, the arm to the front.}
	Bournonville: Third Position en Haut Cecchetti: Fourth Position en Haut French: Third Position R.A.D.: Fourth Position Soviet Russian: Big Pose
	Bournonville: Fourth Position French: Fourth Position R.A.D.: Fourth Position Crossed^‡ ^*As a “softened” rather than an official position, with head turned, gaze up and épaulment, it is called Spanish Fourth. ^‡In both Third & Fourth Positions, the R.A.D. distinguishes between regular positions and those “in opposition,” depending on which foot is in front or working. “In opposition” is when the working foot or the front foot corresponds to the arm that is out to the side, or in Fourth Crossed, to the arm in front.
	Bournonville: Á la Couronne or Fifth Position Cecchetti: Fifth en Haut French: Fifth Position or Bras en Couronne R.A.D.: Fifth Position Soviet Russian: Third Position

Positions of the Feet

First Position	Second Position	Third Position
Fourth Position	Fifth Position	Parallel First Position (also called Sixth)
B Plus also called Attitude a Terre (Soviet) and Preparatory Position (R.A.D.)

Arabesques

The major training systems differentiate among arabesques in different ways. The French school considers the orientation: which leg is raised relative to the audience. R.A.D. and Bournonville consider the positions of the arms; Cecchetti does, too, and adds variations for the supporting leg and the gaze. The Soviet system incorporates both orientation and port de bras.

The working leg – always long and stretched – may range in height from arabesque à terre, in which the working toes touch the floor, to a “six o’clock” arabesque penchée in which the upper body leans forward to allow the working foot to pointe straight up to the ceiling.

	Bournonville: First Cecchetti: First Soviet Russian: First
	Bournonville: Second Cecchetti: Second R.A.D.: Second Soviet Russian: Second
	Bournonville: Á la Lyre Cecchetti: Third R.A.D.: Third Soviet Russian (Variant): Á deux bras
	Cecchetti: Fourth Faces corner and supporting leg is in plié.
	Cecchetti: Fifth Faces corner and supporting leg is in plié.
	Soviet Russian: Fourth The body twists, and the head turns in opposition, so both the back and the face are toward the audience.
	Soviet Russian: Third Faces the audience.
	French: Ouvert
	French: Croisé

Orientations of the Body

Ever conscious of how the body is presented to the audience, ballet has specific terminology for the dancer’s orientation. The impact of steps and positions changes greatly depending on how the body and head are angled; for example, arabesque done facing the audience conceals its beautiful lines, arabesque done in profile displays them. Many steps look best oriented along the diagonal.

Croisé Devant	À la Quatrième Devant	Effacé Devant
Croisé Derière	À la Quatrième Derrière	Effacé Derrière
Écarté Devant	À la Seconde	Écarté Derrière

Terms & Positions

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