First Position
Seeing a ballet dancer standing in the first principal ballet position will have you thinking that there isn’t much to it. Isn’t it just standing up straight with your feet turning out and your heels touching? Well, not exactly.
Standing in the first position has more body parts working than you realize. You need to make sure your entire body is aligned with your hips over your heels and your shoulders over the hips. Then, starting from the bottom, lock your knees, turn your hip joint out, open your chest and shoulders, and slightly lift your chin. Oh, and breathe.
Le Ballet Comique de la Reine
Back when ballet was a dance performed at royal courts, full-scale productions were a little different. They featured more theatricality than strength or flexibility. However, the dancers were a lot closer to the viewers, which made performing just as challenging.
The first full-scale production of such a ballet was called “Le Ballet Comique de la Reine“ (or “The Comic Ballet of the Queen”). It was ordered in 1581 by French queen Catherine de’ Medici in honor of her sister's wedding.
Ballet Companies Have Hierarchy Ranks
When a ballerina enters a company she starts from the bottom and dances her way to the top. There are 5 ranks to this scale of hierarchy. A dancer starts as an apprentice, which is similar to a probation period before coming an official member of the higher-ranked corps de ballet.
With time and dedication, a ballerina will advance to the rank of a second soloist (or demi-soloist), and then a first soloist. And finally, after climbing that ladder and becoming the absolute creme of the crop, she will become a principal dancer and get cast as the lead.
Mind the Fingers
Ballet is unbelievably meticulous. Every move or position needs to look extremely polished down to the dancer's fingertips. Literally. One of the things ballerinas do automatically when dancing is keeping their fingers at a very specific position.
The thumb is relaxed into the palm, the forefinger points straight and slightly upward, the middle finger points straight and slightly downward, the ring-finger is the same as the forefinger, and the pinky points higher than all the rest. And no, we're not kidding.
All Ballet Dancers Are Athlete-Level Ripped
Dancing generally — and dancing ballet particularly — strengthen your bones and builds muscle strength like you wouldn't believe. It also helps burn calories and manage body weight. In fact, half an hour of intense ballet can burn 300 calories!
These advantages, plus improved motor skills, make ballet dancers as strong as rugby or football players, but with more class.