“Let us first deal with the new space we are going to journey into and occupy so as to not see it as a void and empty area, but a distinctly flavored environment.” The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique**

Last week I talked about the five positions of the feet and spatial intent, and today we’re, diving into the crystalline structure of the performance space in classical ballet and dance, how we orient ourselves in relationship to our audience, how different schools of classical ballet classify the walls and corners of the stage differently, and naming of the Body Positions of ballet. 

Conception of Space in Classical Ballet

In classical ballet, we occupy the space of a theoretical cube.

If our stage is in fact a rectangle or some other shape, that can function as well, but we continue to imagine a box or square around the body at all times, with the front wall facing our audience. Part of what makes it “classical” dancing is this, formerly courtly, context, and aesthetic ideas about lines, shapes, and proportion, what forms are most appealing and what variations in pose suggest in terms of narrative or mood. 

Angles, S-curves, and elongated lines, aristocratic bearing, dignity, romance, joy and playfulness, innocence, strength, grief and mourning…all of these and more can be expressed in the nuances of ballet performance and all of this emotion passes through body positions shared between ballet techniques. 

We begin the study of ballet theory with the 5+ positions of the feet, but then we must also explore the body’s position in relationship to the audience, the stage, and of course to the other dancers.

Presentation of the body is important to how the self or character is expressed and how the dancer extends greetings and interacts with others onstage and also sometimes directly with the audience. Pas de deux or partnering, lines and formations, and pathways of travel are also important to choreographic expression, but more on these in the future.

Ballet Body Orientation in Theory:

At the start of her seminal book, Basic Principles of Classical Ballet**, ballet pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova shares an important diagram of the student or dancer in their practice space and onstage and explains: 

“To indicate the degree of turn of the body, or the specific direction of a movement, I use the diagram reproduced here. On it: a–indicates the position of the pupil on the floor, 1–the middle of the footlight line, 2–the corner in front and to the right of the pupil, 3–the middle of the right side, etc.” 

The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet: Theory and Technique** by Cyril Beaumont and Stanislas Idzikowski also contains an “Explanatory diagram for the division of the walls of the practice-room into eight imaginary fixed points,” underscoring the importance for us to have a shared vocabulary with which to relate to our dancing space. The major schools of ballet disagree on the numbering of the various walls and corners of the space (or invisible box around the dancer), but what is more important than precisely how they are numbered is that the dancers and teacher or choreographer have a shared framework. 

A Few Orientations of the Body in a Centre Tendu Exercise:

Once we have a shared language about the positions in the room, whether we use theatre language of “center stage,” “downstage,” “upstage,” “stage right,” “stage left” and so on, or the numbering of the corners and walls recognized by our preferred school of ballet technique, then we can describe, create, and study the Body Positions, of which there are eight or nine, depending on which technique you’re studying, including: 

• En Face (facing front): à la quatrième devant (4th front) & derrière (4th behind), à la seconde (side/2nd) – you can practice these first 3 in the “Classical Ballet Centre Tendu” video above, and I demonstrate all of the positions in “Ballet Orientations of the Body – theory,” below and practice them all “Articulate Adage,” also below
• Croisé: devant (crossed front) & derrière (crossed back)
• Écarté: devant (spread side/front) & derrière (spread side/back) 
• Effacé (shaded): devant (open front) & derrière (open back)
• Epaulé (shouldered)

Adage Practicing All Classical Ballet Body Positions

For more on fundamental ideas of spatial orientation and presence, you may also be interested in Podcast Episode “003: Finding an Oriented State of Being,” or my “The Body in Space” video on YouTube.

In the future, I’ll explore the way in which Laban Movement Analysis identifies affinities between moving in the spatial dimensions with qualities and moods, all of this as choreographic inspiration, and more!

Until then, please share which are your favorite ballet body positions and shapes, and if you’re enjoying my podcast, it means a lot if you would rate and review it favorably on iTunes, or if you dig any of my YouTube videos, give those a like, subscribe, and comment, too!

** I have included links to recommend some of my very favorite books and as a reader, lifelong learner, and academic I hope you enjoy my recommendations. These are Amazon Affiliate links, and if you purchase them I may receive a percentage, cool! 

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

“After the in-place alignment, the teacher reviewed the plié and relevé series. The dancers performed the movements radiating out into the dimensions of the room or stage and projected them through the forward wall and out into the imagined audience and further out to the back of the auditorium. Open pliés were pressed out into space, and closed positions were performed from the ‘in place’ positions.”
– The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique**

Last week I talked about anatomical dimensions and spatial planes, body shapes and positions expressing these dimensions. Of course there are endless positions of the body, but today I am speaking specifically of classical ballet foot positions and related modern dance foot positions from Nikolais-Louis Technique. My podcast on the topic is “027: Ballet & Modern Dance Foot Positions and Spatial Intent.” 

Regarding the various classical ballet schools and the positions of the feet, in her book, The Ballet Companion** Eliza Gaynor Minden states that: “The syllabi of the major schools of ballet evolved as they traveled or underwent reinterpretation. Disciples can disagree, and disputes can arise over what the Cecchettis of the world really intended…The major schools of ballet all use Beauchamps’s original positions of the feet and, for the most part, the same French terminology. All maintain ballet’s traditions of courtesy and dignity; all prize grace and elegance. On the most fundamental aspects of technique there is no disagreement.”

In the future, I’ll also be discussing how the major schools of ballet disagree about the naming and performance of various positions and steps, but in classical ballet as well as some modern dance techniques, the positions of the feet are formed with externally-rotated or turned-out legs from the hip joint. In the resulting shapes, the heels more-or-less face one another on the floor, while the toes reach out at some degree away from one another to the sides. 

In ballet, “perfect” turnout is 180 degrees, or “flat” to the side in first position, resulting in a “shoebox” fifth position. HOWEVER, it is not necessary or advisable for most people to try to produce these precise shapes, especially early in their training! 

There’s a lot more to say about turnout in ballet, dance, and other techniques, but a few of it’s key results are stability in standing in closed and open positions of the feet, and as Gaynor Minden describes: “Turnout enables the dancer to move easily from side to side, to jump, and to pose without ever turning away from the audience […] Turnout is what enables a dancer to raise the leg elegantly to the side without displacing the hips or torso.”

Turnout is helpful in dancing to the extent that it is functional. Forcing it is ultimately not functional, and can also lead to knee or other injuries the likes of which I have experienced myself. Building balanced strength and flexibility is important to turnout or external rotation of the legs as well as to all of our movement possibilities, and rotation is an important concept, especially to classical ballet but also to modern and other dance forms. 

I implicitly understood, from years of practice, the import of pliés in all of the positions of the feet, but their significance became more explicitly clear to me when I took Modern Dance with Betsy Fisher at the University of Hawai’i. Having performed with the Murray Louis Dance Company, Fisher incorporated the technique into her teaching, especially featuring key ideas about space and shape, including the dimensions and planes I previously spoke of. 

I’ve followed up that practical technical training and experience with reading from the book Fisher recommended, The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique. Here we see the connection between the spatial dimensions and planes and the foot positions and movements of the body in dancing: “Since the dimensions of the body were the first principle to be explored, it was essential to establish a ‘room architecture’ and forward orientation, and to maintain this throughout the class. Once the architectural forward orientation was established, the body could then be related to it. This was also the beginning practice of stage directions.” 

Then, once spatial orientation is established, the body is thoroughly warmed up, including a plié series which is “based on the dimensions of the body and their extension into space. First position: in place vertical up and down, second position: width sideward R. and L., third position: in place diagonal, fourth position: open diagonal, fifth position: in place, sixth position: depth, forward-backward. Between open positions, return to vertical (in place) with proper arrival of arms and legs in closed positions, so the action goes from in to out–closed to open, in place to spatial.”
– The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique**

Now there are some variations in the naming of these positions and those of classical ballet, this is a text of modern dance that I am quoting in this case, but there is a strong connection and logic of Beauchamps’ classical ballet positions and the Nikolais/Louis ones (notably a wider “open” fourth position than classical ballet), and I think the rhythm of alternating closed and open positions when one performs plié in each position in a row is an interesting shared feature. 

Each position appears differently to the audience, and each prepares us to move in different directions and in different ways, so we practice plié, the ultimate preparatory movement in ballet, in each shape.  If you want to learn more about and practice the movement of plié, I have a related podcast and YouTube video called “Powerful Plié” on the topic. 

In the sphere of yoga, there is certainly function and significance to each stance and posture as well, and I will continue to explore these and share connections with them in the future. I find it fascinating how each technique carries both proven functional effectiveness and cultural and historical significance.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I deserve the holidays coming a little earlier this year, and so I’ve already begun to get out a few decorations, snack on the Santa-shaped chocolates and such that area already in stores, and listen to some holiday tunes. Of course, I’m always planning music and themes for my upcoming classes as well. In that spirit, this week’s Playlist is all music from “The Nutcracker” Ballet, with the tracks arranged in an order I have found conducive to using them for ballet or dance class exercises from warmup and barre exercises through centre. I hope you enjoy it!

In the future I will continue to explore the ways our body positions, shapes, orientation and movements function in dance. Until next time, I invite you to experience these spatial ideas in your next plié and trip through the positions of the feet in ballet, dancing, or other functional movement.

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

** I have included links to recommend some of my very favorite books and as a reader, lifelong learner, and academic I hope you enjoy my suggestions. These are Amazon Affiliate links, and if you purchase them I also stand to receive a percentage, cool! 

“To understand the concepts of balance and counterbalance through posture and placement, it is helpful to identify (1) each of the three body planes, which link two of the three dimensions of height, width, and depth, (2) the center of gravity, (3) the central vertical axis, and (4) the base of support.” 

– Rory Foster, Ballet Pedagogy: The Art of Teaching ** 

Last week I talked about the dynamic actions that make the creation of shapes with the body possible, and now we focus on the intersection between the elements of the body and space, starting with how we describe the shapes themselves in anatomical dimensions and spatial planes, so they can ultimately be used in expression and reproducible in choreography, as well as describable and understandable to audiences. We can use discipline-specific language to do this of course, but to me it is valuable to work conceptually as this helps us to work effectively across disciplines over the course of our lifespan.

Learning the spatial language of the body, the dimensions and planes, opens doors to understanding functional anatomy, kinesiology, medicine, biology, behavioral psychology, dance, yoga, and athletic techniques of dynamic alignment and movement, movement analysis, and choreography. 

Peggy Hackney provides a nice succinct summary of the Laban Movement Analysis definition of the dimensions and planes of space in her book, Making Connections**:
“Our world has three cardinal dimensions. Each dimension contains two directions which are opposite poles: Vertical–Up/Down; Sagittal–Forward/Backward; Horizontal–Left/Right or sideward open/sideward closed. Each direction is one spatial pull…Movement in the three cardinal planes is movement which invests in two spatial pulls at the same time; for instance up and left in the vertical plane. Each plane is like a flat cycle, or rectangle. Vertical Plane–combines Up/Down and Right/Left; Sagittal Plane–combines Forward/Backward and Up/Down; Horizontal Plane–combines Right/Left and Forward/Backward.”

The Anatomy Coloring Book**, commonly used for studying anatomy in all disciplines, including my kinesiology for dancers class in grad school, further describes the planes thusly:

“The median plane is the midline longitudinal plane dividing the head and torso into right and left halves. The presence of the sectioned midline of the vertebral column and spinal cord is characteristic of this plane. The median plane is the middle sagittal (mid-sagittal) plane.
The sagittal plane is a longitudinal plane dividing the head and torso into left and right parts (not halves). It is parallel to the median (not medial) plane.”
Regarding the sagittal plane, Rory Foster in the book Ballet Pedagogy adds: “The sagittal plane is a vertical line that symmetrically bisects the body into right and left halves. When viewed from the front with the feet in first position, this line runs from the top of the head through the center of the body ending between the heels–the base of support for the evenly distributed gravitational weight of the body. The spatial dimensions in movement are height and depth, as in a forward bend or backbend or a somersault forward or backward.”
This is why we also call the sagittal plane the “wheel” plane, if we move or roll forwards or backwards like a wheel, we are moving through the sagittal plane. 

Back to the Anatomy Coloring Book, it describes the coronal plane: “The coronal or frontal plane is a longitudinal plane dividing the body (head, torso, limbs) or its parts into front and back halves or parts.” – Anatomy Coloring Book
Ballet Pedagogy adds: “The coronal (vertical) plane is a vertical line that divides the body into front and back parts. When viewing this line from a profile position with the feet in parallel, it runs from the top of the head, just in front of the ear, continuing through the pelvis, hip joint, knee, and into the metatarsal or transverse arch in front of the ankle. The spatial dimensions in movement are height and width, as in a stretch or cambré to the side or a cartwheel.”
The coronal/frontal/vertical plane is also called the “door” plane, as one is in this plane while standing in a doorway, or while gesturing or moving to the side. 

“The coronal and sagittal planes together establish the central vertical axis, also referred to as the line of gravity or the plumb line.” – again Ballet Pedagogy

The Anatomy Coloring Book describes the transverse or horizontal plane: “The transverse plane divides the body into upper and lower halves or parts (cross sections). It is perpendicular to the longitudinal planes. Transverse planes may be horizontal planes of the upright body. Transverse planes are called ‘axial’ or ‘transaxial’ sections/slices by radiologists.”
Ballet Pedagogy adds, “The horizontal (transverse) plane divides the body into upper and lower halves. The spatial dimensions in movement are width and depth (rotation) as in a pirouette or fouette turn.”
The transverse/horizontal plane is also known as the “table” plane, as when we move or gesture in this plane, it is as if across a tabletop.

“The point at which all three planes (coronal, sagittal, and horizontal) cross each other is the center of gravity (COG)–the imaginary point where all parts of the body balance each other. This is located just below the navel at the body’s midline and anterior to the second sacral vertebra.” – again Ballet Pedagogy

Ballet Pedagogy helps put all of these concepts together to apply to our posture in ballet dancing practice: “Correct ballet posture and placement also require elongation through the legs and torso by means of lengthening and stretching. This is universally known and often misunderstood as pull-up. Elongating the body raises the center of gravity. By raising it, we increase the distance from our center of gravity and our base of support on one or both feet. It is done by lengthening and stretching the spinal column, thereby elongating the spine’s natural curves. This causes diminished stability, but enables greater mobility, allowing the dancer to move with speed, lightness, and grace. The diminished stability factor is overcome by years of muscular development and control while refining technique… There should be a sensation of pushing downward through the legs from the hip joints while lengthening and pulling up from the waistline. Upward elongation or the torso from the waist should be felt primarily in the spine–head, neck, shoulders, and arms should remain free of any tension. Maintaining this stance requires core abdominal strength as well as control in the upper back and between the shoulder blades.”

If you’re an auditory learner or enjoy podcasts, you might also enjoy this content on my podcast. “The Body in Space” is the second in my podcast series on the Elements of Dance, where I’ll be explaining each Element, including The Body, Action, Shape/Shaping/Space, Time, and Quality/Energy and how I use them in choreography, criticism, teaching, and reflective practice. It’s also my 25th podcast, and I’m incredulous that I’ve already produced that many! It’s been a fun way to collect and share themes from my dancing, yoga, teaching, and coaching practices. If you want to explore the concept of space more on the podcast, check out 003: Finding an Oriented State of Being, & 013: Electric Flow in Dance, Yoga, & Life.

We discussed the abdominal strength required to maintain this alignment last week, and this week I created a couple videos on the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel that teach and reinforce the anatomical dimensions and planes. Coming up, I’ll be connecting these ideas about the body in space to the larger space in which the dancer performs, and in which the artist or person moves. 

My ballet offering this week is “Ebullient Battement & Passe,” in which I teach the movements of battements dégagé, grand battements, coupé, & passé, and the shapes of sur-le-cou-de-pied, and retiré. I also reinforce the anatomical plane concepts discussed this week.

In the sphere of yoga, in the Bhagavad Gita** the ideal posture for meditative practice is described as follows: “Keep the body, head, and neck erect without looking about; gaze instead toward the tip of your nose.” As discussed in my “Electric Flow in Dance, Yoga, & Life” podcast, this allows for energy or prana to “flow easily through the spine along the … important nadis passing through all the chakras.”

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga** demonstrates how important proper alignment is to our practice in an experiential practice:
“No breathing technique will work unless you are sitting correctly, as two simple experiments will show. First sit perfectly straight and breathe evenly, remaining aware of the elliptical nature of the breathing cycle and making sure that you are not creating pauses or jerks at either end of the ellipse. Now slump forward slightly and allow the lumbar lordosis to collapse. Notice three things: inhalation is more labored, exhalation starts with a gasp, and it is impossible to use the abdominal muscles smoothly to aid exhalation. Breathing evenly is impossible and meditation is impossible. The lesson is obvious: Don’t slump. 
Now sit on the edge of a chair. Keep the lumbar lordosis maximally arched but lean forward, making an acute angle between the torso and the thighs. Watch your breathing. The abdominal muscles now have to push strongly against a taut abdomen to aid exhalation. Then, at the beginning of inhalation, if you relax your respiration, air rushes into the airways. Try restraining inhalation and notice that active abdominal muscles are required to prevent the sudden influx of air. The lesson here? Don’t lean forward, even with a straight back.”

As I mentioned last week, the topic of establishing physical integrity and alignment is also related to integrity in our actions. As an ontological coach, I learned through Accomplishment Coaching that “Resolving issues with one’s sense of integrity is a daily practice. We begin to have a low tolerance for being out of integrity. We practice and grow greater awareness of our integrity. Making choices based on a context that victimizes us becomes unacceptable. Our lives take on a new power when we are in process to restore our integrity.” 

In the future, I’ll cover related topics about the crystalline structure of the performance space in ballet and dance, how different schools of classical ballet classify the walls and corners of the stage differently, the way in which Laban Movement Analysis identifies affinities between moving in the spatial dimensions with qualities and moods, all of this as choreographic inspiration, and more!

My featured dance production and company this week is Pilobolus, especially their productions of “Atlas Shrugged” and “Shadowland,” which are great examples of use of the dimensions and planes and other spatial concepts in dance as well as a collaborative process and innovative partner work. On the topic of Pilobolus, during my MFA studies at the University of Hawai’i, I had the great pleasure of participating in a master class from former company member Matt del Rosario, a fellow North Carolina School of the arts alum who also grew up in Hawai’i. Sometimes it is a small world!

I never meant for my playlists to become a weekly thing, as usually I only come up with new ones for my classes seasonally, as well on occasion for myself, but I suppose I’ve been particularly prolific lately, and this week I’m sharing my “Send Me – Bluesy Autumn Jazz” Playlist.

In observance of this time of year of harvest, gratitude and celebration, in November I am offering one of my favorite coaching tools to one person weekly. This is the Essence Conversation, and it is about a 90-minute conversation about how you are showing up in life. How would you like to show up this holiday season? Enjoy this complimentary coaching session with me by  making an appointment on my Calendly calendar in November. It’s a transformational conversation all on it’s own, and you’ll come away with actionable steps to show up your best for the holidays, into 2021, and beyond!

A bit of exciting personal news, I’m completing my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training this month (at last–it was originally scheduled to be completed in the summer, but due to the pandemic things had to be shifted considerably- glad we can complete it at all! I have learned so much and am excited to keep sharing more in the future. But due to activities around this milestone, I am publishing this blog a bit later than usual, and will not post another until next week.

Until then, Happy Halloween!, and I invite you to become aware of your posture as it relates to these spatial ideas and practice physical integration for your dancing and your life.

Blythe Stephens
She/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: 
Dance Education & Coaching to move through life with balance, grace, & power

** I have included links to recommend some of my very favorite books and as a reader, lifelong learner, and academic I hope you enjoy my recommendations. These are Amazon Affiliate links, and if you purchase them I stand to receive a percentage, cool! Of course you may also obtain these books through a number of other means 🙂

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.