[Music] when it comes to ballet you've got the five basic positions of the arms and then of course what about the feed [Music] with ballet dancing you've got five most basic positions for the feet and almost every child and adult that does dance at some point is going to learn these so we'll begin of course in first position for first position the heels are going to be together you want to pull in tight with the stomach and you're always opening and pushing down through the neck and the shoulders and the chest we're gonna take the heels together and going to open the toes now don't worry your toes don't have to be open at a full 180 degrees even though that would be considered technically perfect what's most important is to make sure that you're working within your range of motion so if your toes are a bit more turned in that's perfectly okay you want to make sure that anytime you bend your knees the knees are right over your toes so you're always working within your range of motion what's next second position we'll open the feet up wide so i'm extending and the heels are open more than hip width apart the toes are open wide as well so this is second position for the feet next we have third so third is a more introductory or basic position this is something that you would do and maybe a beginner ballet class we incorporate it sometimes into the ballet beautiful workouts and it's definitely going to be a big part of any children's ballet class as well so you'll bring the heel to the toe both knees straight so it's this nice position where the thighs are crossed you're pulling in with the stomach and that works on both sides heel to toe i have to look down because it's a position that i'm not using as frequently good so you've got that nice cross through the legs and this is really if you're doing a workout or if you're dancing you don't feel as comfortable with the technique or with your own turnout etc third position is a great great place to start from third we'd open up the feet adding space right between the legs into fourth position so fourth position is any time the feet are open like this so you're pulling in with the stomach the feet are wide and you've still got that nice turnout coming from the hips and cross through the thighs fourth position the knees can be straight the knees can be bent there's a lot of different ways to achieve a fourth position but this would be the absolute most basic form and then of course we have fifth so fifth position you're crossing toe to heel and toe to heel on each foot you want to pull them at the stomach and you're opening from the hips so you've got this nice opening through the thighs and a very good strong cross i would say fifth position is the most advanced of each position that we're going to do today and so that's something to say if you don't want to overwork your rotation or if you feel any tension or stress on your hips or on your knees then i would start with third and work your way into a better tighter fifth position one thing to keep in mind if you're working towards a better fifth position would be to start with the feet a little more open inching your way across as you continue your training so this is fifth position and the five positions of the feet in ballet when we're talking about the positions of the arms and our movements we use the term portobra and the literal translation is the carriage of the arms so it's the way that you move the arms and carry them through space now the most basic five positions of ballet arms first position the arms start out in front of you imagine um as every ballet teacher i think says that you're holding a beach ball you've got this nice space between your chest and your fingertips the elbows are lifted you don't want to droop here you want to stay nice and engaged through the center and open through that chest so you've got that beautiful ballerina posture and here are your arms in first position from first we would move on to second position that's just opening up the arms to the side now there's a lot of different techniques but one thing is going to hold true in all of them you don't want to bend through the elbows you don't want to have a break this would what we would call a scarecrow arm and that's a bad thing in ballet you don't ever want the elbows to be drooping unless of course it's part of your swot arm so second position you open the arms out hands are wide i like to think of having my hands in my peripheral vision so you're not too far behind you you don't want to ever be arched here so you can see those hands to your side and the fingers are curled in nicely third position comes next and that would just be bending one arm across so taking it straight up to the front just like in first position again think about that nice beach ball a nice roundness openness of your chest and the other arm is going to remain in second position and this position is going to work on both sides so after third we have fourth position so we would take the arm up the hand on the other side would remain in second position so you're lifted you're pulling in and you're opening through that chest you can close and change and use fourth position on the other side and the last final position is fifth position so the arms are up high over your head again same thing the hands and arms should be in your peripheral vision you don't want to have them too far back and you never want to take that kind of arch in your spine so hands up fifth position and there we have our five positions of arms [Music] so what does play mean and how do you do one create means bend of the knees there's a lot of different ways to incorporate a plie so let's start with the most basic a plie in first position i'm going to start with the demi plie which means a half bend in first position when you're doing a demi plie it's a smaller bend of the knees but i'm actually taking my body down quite low what you notice look down to my heels the heels are on the floor this is how we distinguish a demi plie from a grand plie in first position what's a grand play a large play a plie that is very very big so demi plie he'll stay on the floor grand plie you're going to come through that demi and you're going to drop all the way down lifting those heels up lowering the heels back down to demi plie and lifting up nice and high so remember a grand plie means big grand size plie here in second position you could be in first fifth even in fourth where you're coming down you're moving through and you're taking those heels all the way down and up off the floor if you're following along at home you're just getting started you can use a bar a wall a chair your sofa whatever you've got to add that little bit of extra stability while you practice and perfect your plie french tondu means to pull or to stretch we also incorporate tondus frequently throughout the ballet beautiful workout they're a great warm-up and a great way to tone your ballet muscles so what does the tondu look like and how do we use that again thinking about pulling stretching this is great because ballet is all about extending the body through space so tondu you're taking one leg and you're stretching it out long you could brush the leg to the front for a tandoo front so we've turned to front tundu side and of course there's also a tandoo back whatever the position is just remember to keep that toe on the floor stretch those legs nice and long [Music] is a movement or you're brushing the leg off of the floor so tondu means to pull or to stretch and dagger j means to disengage so you're moving through your tondu into your decoche as you brush the leg off of the floor these are movements that you're going to use at the ballet bar we're going to use them in the center for our valley beautiful workout releve means raised this is a movement and classical ballet where you're lifting the body up with the legs and demi or a full point depending on your footwear you can perform a releve on two feet with the knees straight here i am in first position you can incorporate a but a relevant can be performed on one foot as well so there's a lot of variation when it comes to irreleve from a fitness perspective i love relevance because they are a great way to tone the calves and the lower body plie releve in second position in the center or at the bar is an excellent exercise for toning through your calves your thighs you're also working your core belly base can be performed on two feet on one foot there are tons and tons of variations on how to incorporate aurelie into your ballet class or ballet beautiful workout susu means over under it's performed most typically in classical ballet starting from fifth position [Music] the hips are open toes turned out heel to toe with the feet engaged with the core suzu can be done in a relevant so you can take a demi plie a bend of those knees lifting up into fifth position crossing the legs crossing the feet and a susu can also be performed into a pike which you would do at the bar or even in the center i love susus because they tone the legs they tone the butt and they engage their core so you're working a lot of your ballet muscles all at once it's a position of the feet where the toe is the top of the ankle and the base of the calf it can be performed to the front of devon wrapped with the heel in front the toe behind or to the back and derriere this is a position that you're going to be using in combination with other movements in your ballet class or ballet beautiful workout so you may see a kudu pa with a big brush to the side included pa front and back and front and back i love this exercise because you're pulling up and out of the standing leg you're engaging your core you're opening through your hips and you're really getting great toning for your legs for your thighs and for your core so while it's a position of the foot it can be used to work your entire body the working leg is bent and the foot is in cuda pa moving from the back to the front with a rapid movement this is an exercise that you typically do later on in your bar work when the feet and the legs are nice and warm i love the way that a petite bottom toes through your core it takes quite a lot of control but also through the standing leg you're pushing nice and long you're working through your butt and derriere and also through the thighs the hips are open it takes lots of control and it's just a great overall toning exercise for the legs and the butt in classical ballet this is a movement that can be performed with the working foot and leg either on the floor where you're brushing and moving in a circular motion or off the floor even on layer there are many variations of a ronda john i love rhonda jeans from a fitness perspective because they're toning your inner thighs both legs are straight you're brushing squeezing long to the legs and the inner thighs and it's a wonderful exercise for toning your ballet muscles what exactly is an arabesque and what does it look like basically it's any time when you have that back leg straight you want to pull it tight through the stomach the standing knee can be straight it can be bent and then there's a variety of positions that we can do for the arms first second third position in arabesque what does that mean well it's all about your porter bra which again means carriage of the arms first arabesque you're stretching out long side arm is open here you want to take that into second aerobath i'm going to close and cross the arms reaching across third arrow mask open those arms up so this is the three basic positions and arabesque for your ballet class or your belly beautiful workout [Music] this is a movement that's going to be performed with a lot of energy where you're transferring your weight from one leg onto another the foot can be on point on demi point even on flat depending on the movement there are tons of variations of pks because it all depends on the position of the working leg you can do a pk and two arabesque a pk into attitude a pk into passe even a pk turn where you're turning around i love pks because they let you really stretch those ballet muscles the muscles are long you're standing these straight and you're really extending and toning through that standing leg comrade means arch and in ballet this is a term that's used to describe a bend through the upper body cranberries can be done to the front to the side and also to the back you see them very often at the beginning of a ballet class as part of the warm-up it's a great way to open up and stretch through the back the shoulders and the chest and it's also great for building strength and control through your core and your upper body while working on building beautiful posture i love comrades because they help release the tension they stretch you out but they also build control [Music] an attitude is a classical ballet position performed with the working knee bent attitude can be performed to the front on divat to the side and all second or to the back and derriere in an attitude the standing knee can be straight it can be bent the standing foot can be flat or on demi or full point depending on the exercise or your choreography i love an attitude when it comes to my workout because this is a great exercise for toning the back of the legs and the butt particularly when you're performing attitude and derriere you'll see this quite a lot in the bali beautiful method sometimes i'm doing an attitude on the floor on the mat little lifts to the back are excellent for toning but i also love an attitude and a standing series if you add in a porter bra then that gives you the ability for an extra bend and twist through the waist which is also going to target your waist and your core so depending on the position of your movement you're going to work a different series of ballet muscles attitude front takes quite a lot of strength and control through the abs and core as well so i love that exercise for toning the full body it's a great exercise for toting the abs the legs and the butt and also for getting your heart rate up typically you would perform a gravo mod in either third or fifth position you can do a grommet mount to the front to the side or to the back using and pulling in with the stomach muscles and the core stretching long through both legs so you're working all of those ballet muscles in your legs and your butt in ballet and valley beautiful we talk a lot about moving through our standing and our working legs the standing leg is your supporting leg it's the leg that's going to support the body while you do the movement the leg can be straight it can be bent the foot can be flat you can be on your half point or on full point the working leg by contrast is the leg that is lifting that's bending that's performing the movement that we're doing so in your ballet beautiful clasp and your ballet workouts you're going to be moving back and forth from your standing to your working leg right to left on both sides this is a connecting step that's most frequently used at the bar as part of the warm-up and we also use them quite frequently in the ballet beautiful workout depending on your port of bra you can add variation you're bending and stretching the knees as you transfer the weight from one foot to the other toenail can be done on the floor and tondu with the toes down but also off of the ground i love tom lies because they provide great toning we're bending and stretching the legs so you're working the ballet muscles through your legs through your butt and also through your core it's a great way to warm up your muscles get your heart rate up and get that awesome valley beautiful toning [Music] a balancing is a rocking step where the balance or the weight passes from one foot to another so we'll go from the right to the left to the right one two three one two three there's always a nice rhythm in the movement it can be done to the front to the back the knees straight the leg straight there's many variations when it comes to performing your balance say from a fitness perspective i love balancies because we're using your plie it's got a nice dancy motion to it and it's great for getting the heart rate up passe means past in classical ballet this is a position that's performed with the working knee bent and the toe is going to move up and down that standing leg the knee is going to be come into a triangle position with the knee open the hip open you'll see a passe at the bar as part of your warm up the foot can be flat it can be on any point oftentimes you'll see passes in a pique passe here or a pk turn that would be performed with a turn often in a pirouette as well so you're lifting up and lowering from that posse position we use a lot of passes and ballet beautiful because i love the way that this exercise targets and tones the legs it engages the core particularly when you're working on your demi point you have an even bigger range of motion a pirouette is a turn on one leg in classical ballet pirouettes can be performed in a variety of positions the most typical pirouette would be from fourth position so you can take a taundu to the back and then stretch down into a lunge in the balanchine tradition which is how i was trained your front knee would be bent and the back knee is stretched long you're going to stretch long with the front arm looking all the way out over those fingers bend that front knee and just lift up and lower back down and a more classical ballet or classical training both knees would be bent as your preparation pirouettes can also be done in fifth position we would begin in a tandy front close to fifth bend the knees lift up and over when it comes to turning there's many many variations and it all depends on your starting and finishing position in classical ballet sote is a type of jump and the type of saute that you're performing depends on the position of the body there are many many variations you can do a sote in arabesque for example and also as part of your petite allegro or small jumps which are typically performed in the center of the room but could also be done at the bar so let's say you're doing so taste in first second and fifth position [Music] sotes are great for getting your heart rate up they're excellent toning so look out for saute in your next ballet class valley beautiful workout jette means throwing or thrown this is a jump in ballet a step where you're brushing you're bending and brushing as you jump up in the air to land down there's several variations of vegeta you could do one in petite allegro where you're bending and you're brushing and then there's also grangete which is probably the most famous a big leap through the air at the end of class or when you're on stage jates are great because they take a lot of power so they're really good for toning the legs of course you have to use your core as well and they're also going to get your heart rate up any time you're jumping that heart rate is going to go sky high so look out for jate in your next ballet class valley beautiful workout you