Learn Basic Ballet Moves

Ballet is an art that enables you to express yourself through movement, imagery and emotion. This article will teach you how to perform the basic ballet positions and to get started in ballet.

Steps

1. Learn the basic ballet positions:
   • First: place your heels touching together and your feet facing in opposite directions. Make sure your legs are turned out right from your thighs, not just below your knees or you could get serious knee injuries.
   • Second: like first, but place your feet about a foot apart. Keep the toes turned outwards.
   • Third: This position is like first, but cross the front foot's heel at the middle (instep) of your back foot.
   • Fourth: place your feet turned outwards, but place your front foot about six inches in front of your back foot. This can be done from first-open fourth; or from third; crossed fourth.
   • Fifth: similar to first, but you place your front foot's heel at your back foot's toe.
2. Find or make a barre. A barre is simply a rail to help you keep your balance when doing warm-up exercises. It should be at a comfortable height, just above (or at) your waist.
3. Read about ballet. The more that you read, especially books with illustrations or photos, the more you will feel comfortable with the different positions, the styles and techniques. It is also very useful to read about famous ballerinas and ballet dancers to understand their techniques and artistic backgrounds. Not only will these inspire you but they will also provide you with ideas for creating your own style. Also, try watching videos which instruct the basics of ballet. These are helpful as you can visually see the correct way to perform steps, and have audible instructions to make them as clear as possible.
4. Practice your positions. Do this daily - you are training your body for life. Even those who cease dance as adults tend to hold their bodies better than those who have never danced and retain a high level of flexibility and body awareness. So, even if you do not go on to make a career of ballet, you are doing your body a good turn. Just make sure you hold your posture correctly during dance, or you may well damage your body instead of doing it good.
5. A good exercise is pas de chat ( step of the cat )said: pa-duh-shah: you just jump and point your feet one by one at your leg, or you can do change ,said: by Shonjemoh: when you put your right foot in front and your left foot in the back turned out and you just keep on jumping and changing them!
6. Find a class. You need a ballet teacher to help you know if you are doing it correctly. This is very important as there is only so much you can teach yourself at home off the internet or from a book. Get a good teacher; keep looking until you feel a "click" with the person teaching you.
7. Participate in the class. This is important because you won't know if you are doing it right if you don't participate. Take all criticism constructively. You will never learn anything if you aren't told how you are doing something incorrectly.

Tips

• When first trying out ballet make sure you listen well so you will not get confused on which moves to do because if you do the wrong move you could get hurt or injured badly.
• Even when not in ballet class, stretching is a very good idea. It helps you become more flexible so you can do harder moves quicker.
• Don't force yourself to do complicated things like going on your tip toes. Pointe requires extremely strong ankles and great ballet technique. If you go on pointe without being ready, YOU WILL MOST LIKELY BREAK YOUR ANKLE.
• Start with flat shoes before you go to pointe shoes.
• Don't give up! It's a very long process, so don't expect to be perfect from the start.
• Follow the rules of ballet don't 'personalize' it. The moves weren't made for you, you just have to dance them.If you start from an early age then it would help as your bones are not fully developed, and so on. But if you start from an older age it would be harder because your bones are half/fully developed. So DO NOT try going on en pointe until you have become a fully trained and pro ballerina.
• Only buy pointe shoes if your ballet instructor has asked you to.
• Don't simply read this and think you can dance ballet, you must go to a good class if you want to do ballet.(one or two classes a week is sufficient)

Warnings

• When practicing at home, never practice on carpet.
• Don't practice pointe at home even if you do it in class; not unless you have clear ballet instructor directions to do so. See Warning about pointe shoes below.
• Do NOT try pointe until you have advanced from beginner ballerina to intermediate or advanced and until you get permission from your instructor. This is very important, because if you try pointe and your body is not strong enough you would, in a best case scenario, get a broken foot. You could also do permanent damage to your feet.
• Never, ever, ever practice something you haven't learned at ballet school properly - you could really hurt yourself.
• Do NOT ever force your feet to go into a certain position. If you do this, it can cause your feet to be twisted for a period of time. < if this happens, get help quickly! >

Things You'll Need

• Leotard - this means you can move more efficiently. A good leotard is comfortable and feels like a second skin.
• Pink ballet tights - they allow your instructor to see which muscles are pulled up more easily than any other colors and it's a good idea to get used to them. Also, it's important to keep your limbs warm during and after exercise or they could contract, causing them to snap and cause serious damage, or expand-giving you unsightly bulging legs. However, if your dance is low impact or the dancer is very young, such damage is highly unlikely.
• Ballet shoes, leather or canvas for practise and minor productions, only use satin for shows/exams/auditions etc because they get worn very quickly
• Pointe shoes - never go on "en pointe" without being instructed by an experienced ballet teacher. You could potentially never walk again. Your feet will definitely start bleeding, or toes crunching, if you do it regularly, or even once, without a teacher, or years of experience.
• Toe pads- for pointe, the thickness depends on how much you want to feel the floor
• Leotard skirt - see through, knee-or-above-length skirts are the best.

Related Articles

• Do a Pirouette
• De Shank Pointe Shoes
• Do The Box (Front) Splits
• Ballet Dance
• Do Well in a Ballet Audition
• Learn Body Positions for Advanced Ballet
• Do a Step Ball Change Leap

See also

• Do a Double Turn
• Do a Pirouette
• Do a Plie in Ballet
• Do Ballet Fouette Turns
• Do All Five Ballet Positions
• Do a Right Leg Double Pirouette
• Do a Grand Jete
• Do a Toe Spin

What links here

• Become a Ballet Dancer
• Do a Grand Jete