Ballet
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Ballet is a type of dance. It is usually done by people which have a special training in it. The first reference to ballet is found in a work of Domenico da Piacenza, who lived in the early 14th century.
Ballet is most often performed to music. It is also often used to tell stories with the help of dance and mime.
[change] Technique
Ballet techniques are named for the place they come from, for example Russian ballet, French ballet, Danish ballet, Italian ballet, and American ballet.
Specific methods are named after the ballet master or mistress who started them, such as the Vaganova method after Agrippina Vaganova, the Balanchine method after George Balanchine, and the Cecchetti method after Enrico Cecchetti.
[change] Home positions in ballet
There are five home positions in classical ballet. Home positions are the positions that the dancer's feet should be in to start and finish a movement. These positions were designed by the dance master Pierre Beauchamp during the late 17th century (1600's).
1. In first position, the heels are together and the feet are apart. The feet should make as straight a line as possible.
2. Second position is like first, but with the heels apart.
3. In third position, one foot is placed at a right angle to the other foot. The heel of one foot is placed touching the toe of the other.
4. Fourth position is similar to the fifth but with the feet apart.
5. In fifth position, the feet are nearly parallel to each other and point in opposite directions. The feet are as close together as possible.
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