How To Do Ballet Arm Positions

Hello, I'm Zoe from South London Dance Studies in Herne Hill, and my students are going to demonstrate some ballet movements. We're going to show you how to do ballet arm positions. So, we're standing in first position with the feet, the spine is lengthened, and the weight is going towards the balls of the feet, so really held.

And the arms are starting off in bra bar, which means arms down. And they're in a rounded position, and the hands are extending from the wrists so that we don't notice them too much. And we're going to lift the arms up to belly button height, and we call that 'first position,' or on avante which means 'forward.

' And back down to bra bar. So, the shape of the arm doesn't change. We just lift them up to on avante, or first position.

And lift, keep them there, now we're going to open them out to the side, into second position. So, keeping the same shape of the arms, with the curve at the elbow, and the elbows lifted, and extending hands, second position, and lower, now we'll take the arms to on affand, or first. Now, just take your right arm out to second.

And this is called third position, or bra craverse, which means 'crossed.' And into second, and down. So let's have a look at bra craverse, or third, on the other arm.

So, up to on affand, and open the left arm to bra craverse, or third, and open the right arm to second, and lower. Good, give your arms a shake. That's proper.

Good. Now, let's take the arms to on affand again, or first, and we're going to keep that rounded shape, and take them all the way up to the top, just in front of your forehead, and this is called fifth, or on couronne, which means 'crowned.' And open the arms through second, and lower.

Now, let's take the arms to on affand again, or first, and take your right arm up to on couronne, or fifth. And open the left arm to second and this is called fourth position, or attitude. And open, and lower.

Let's try fourth position, or attitude, with the other arm. So, on affand, and up to fourth, open the other arm out to second, and open to second, and lower. So we've looked at first position, or on affand, let's have a quick look at that one.

On affand or first. Second position, and down. Now, let's look at bra craverse or third.

Open and down. And now, let's look at fourth, or attitude, and down. And let's look at on couronne or fifth.

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