Education & Community Engagement
Ballet Glossary
The positions of the body
Les positions du corps [lay paw-zee-SYAWN doo core]
This is French for “the positions of the body.” The
following are the eight positions from the Cechetti School.
Their descriptions are based on positioning the dancer
within an imaginary box envisioned on the floor around
him/her where facing side 1 corresponds to standing en face
(see diagram). All positions are based on starting from
fifth position using the right leg to initiate the
movement.
- croisé devant [krwah-ZAY duh-VAHN] – This is
French for “crossed in front.” In croisé devant, the
dancer’s hips and shoulders face corner 8 with the right
foot extended to corner 8.
- à la quatrième devant [ah lah ka-tree-EM duh-VAHN] –
This is French for “to the fourth in front,” referring
to the fourth position where the dancer’s hips and
shoulders face side 1, and the right foot is extended to
side 1.
- Écarté [ay-kar-TAY] – This is French for
“thrown apart,” referring to the openness of the
position. In this position, the dancer stands with hips
and shoulders facing to corner 8, with the front foot
extended in to corner 2, or vice versa.
- Éffacé [eh-fah-SAY] – This is French for
“shaded,” referring to the way in which part of the
dancer’s body is hidden from the audience in this
position. The dancer stands with hips and shoulders
facing corner 2 with the right foot extended to corner
2.
- Á la seconde [ah lah suh-GAWND] – This
is French for “to second,” where the dancer stands with
hips and shoulders facing side 1, with the right leg
extended to side 3.
- Épaulé
[ay-pohl-AY] – This is French for “shouldered,”
referring to the presentation of the shoulder to the
audience. In this position, the dancer stands with hips
and shoulders facing corner 8 with the right leg
extended to corner 4. The shoulders are twisted to
reveal the dancer’s back to the audience.
- Á la quatrième derrière [ah lah
ka-tree-EM deh-RYEHR] – This is French for “to the
fourth behind,” and describes a position in which the
dancer stands with hips and shoulders facing side 1,
with the working leg extended to side 5.
- Croisé derrière [krwah-ZAY deh-RYEHR] –
This is French for “crossed behind,” where the dancer
stands with hips and shoulders facing corner 2 and the
right leg is extended to the back towards corner 6.