Step into the Studio with Confidence! Here are 5 Basic Dance Terms Every Beginner Should Know.
Say goodbye to First Day nerves.
You’re thinking about taking a dance class. Great! You’re thinking about signing your daughter up for her first dance class. Even better! Take that leap.
If it’s your first time ever stepping into a dance studio, there’s no need to be nervous. I’m here to tell you 5 basic dance terms so you enter the room with confidence.
Number 1: Plié.
(Pronounced Plee-ay). This french word means something very simple: bend. Bend your knees. This term is used in just about every genre of dance.
If Ballet is your dance class of choice, there’s a specific way to do them. Here’s the breakdown:
1. Your knees must be turned out to the side. The space between your legs will create a diamond shape.
2. Pliés are used ALL THE TIME. They’re used before and after dance steps. It’s crucial to use them before leaps, jumps, and turns, like chasses or pirouettes. Why are pliés crucial? You can’t go anywhere without coming from someplace, and pliés act as a sort of springboard for your leaps, jumps, and turns.
Pliés are also SUPER important for landing those leaps, jumps, and turns. As I like to tell my dance students, a plié is a pillow for your knees. The bend protects those joints in the middle of your legs from snapping or getting injured.
Think about this for a second: Which would feel more comfortable (and safer)? Pushing off or landing on a straight leg or coming from a place that will bounce you up, and help you land with space and protection? The 2nd one. Dance is a dangerous art and it’s all about the safety of physics. Ballet dancers don’t spend YEARS of rigorous training for nothing.
3. Pliés give you space to dance comfortably. Another thing I always say to my students: Create some space. Everyone’s body is shaped differently and moves a little differently. Adjust the space between your limbs to align with your body. Also, it’s super uncomfortable to dance with your feet and knees together. It physically blocks you from making any movement. Creating space gives you the grace to move with so much ease.
Number 2: 1st - 5th position.
Every dance genre has a variation of the ballet feet positions. 1st position is the starting point. When you step into your first dance class, you’re undoubtedly going to hear the instructor use these terms.
Since I’ve used Ballet in my last point, let’s stick with that example. Here’s how to do the Five Ballet Positions:
Position 1: This is the easiest one, and because of that, it’s hardly used past children’s Beginner Ballet class. Put your feet to make a “V” shape. Keep your heels together and push your toes out. That’s it.
Position 2: Keeping your feet in that “V” shape, separate your heels. The space between your feet should be shoulder or hip width apart.
Position 3: Your feet are back together in the “V” shape, but one foot is slightly in front of the other. The front foot’s heel is nestled in the arch of the back foot. Toes are still turned out.
Position 4: We’re back to feet apart, but instead of side by side, they’re set vertically apart. It’s easiest to describe 4th position by transitioning from 3rd. Take your front foot from 3rd position and slide it out in front of you. Put equal weight on both feet. The distance between your feet should be about the same as 2nd position (shoulder or hip width apart).
Position 5: Close your feet again. This position is similar to 3rd, but instead of nestling the heel of your front foot into the arch of the back, it meets the big toe instead. Let’s say your right foot is in front. The heel of your right foot meets the big toe of your left foot.
Number 3: Relevé.
You’ve made it this far, yay! There was a lot of information in Numbers 1 and 2. Now, we tie them together with this dance term.
Relevé (pronounced REL-IH-VAY) means to lift. From a plié in any position, lift your heels so you’re standing on the balls of your feet. All 5 toes remain on the ground.
Number 4: Barre.
Now that we’ve made it through some ballet dance steps, I’m going to tell you some terms you will hear that pertain to the dance studio itself.
You know those things that are built into the wall or stand alone in dance movies or videos? The things that ballet dancers hold onto while warming up?
That’s the barre. The barre is used not only for warm ups and stretching in the beginning of class, but it’s where the ballet dancer spends most of their time learning technique and balance.
If you’re a beginner ballet dancer, you’ll most likely be instructed to go there at the beginning of class.
Number 5: Across the Floor
After barre work, the dance instructor will most likely take you and other dancers off of the barre and onto the dance floor. This section of class is called Across the Floor, and it’s exactly what you think it is.
You and your fellow dancers will practice steps moving across the floor. The instructor could have specific steps or technique based movements they would like you to work on - like bourrees or walks - or give you a combination sequence of dance steps.
This is a great time to create space, give it all you’ve got, and have fun!
Being a dance teacher for over a decade, I love to fill my students with confidence and new perspectives about dance. There’s a precedence of tough, judgemental, perfection surrounding the art, and it breaks my heart to see students deflate because of it. Little nuggets of changing mind-sets go far. It’s why I wrote my book, Bella the Buck-Toothed Ballerina.
Free yourself of those nerves. Go out there and dance your heart out!
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