The Facings of the Body
Knowing the body positions, facings, and orientation should be like clockwork, but when you are young or just starting out, they can be quite confusing. Not only are they confusing, but they seem impossible to master. It definitely takes some maturity on the student’s side to understand and start the process of mastering these positions.
Usually, these positions are taught at center and happen in ballet 2, depending on the curriculum you use and whether the leveling is based on the eight-year syllabus. These body positions can vary in port de bras, be done within a sequence of steps, combined with other fundamentals like plié, and done either on demi-pointe or full pointe.
In the beginning, the positions are taught with tendu, and they progress through the levels with various techniques at varying leg heights.
These body positions are there to help a dancer know the facing and orientation of the hips in relation to the stage and room. They create the coordination of squareness in varying positions of the stage. In the Cecchetti method, there are eight positions of the body and the use of the quarter vocabulary, while the Russian and French schools use eleven positions of the body.
All of these body positions are based on the hip's relationship to the legs and feet while inside the orientation of a space but are about building proportions. Have you ever seen one of the optical illusions asking you which line is longer? There are usually two lines displayed, one straight and one diagonal. This is the same concept as these positions: creating diagonal lines to create better proportions.
The Concepts
Croisé, Croisée
Pronunciation: krawh-ZAY
Translation: crossed
Ècartè
Pronunciation: ay-kar-TAY
Translation: Separated, thrown wide apart
Effacé / Effacée
Pronunciation: eh-fay-SAY
Translation: Shaded, erased
Èpaulè
Pronunciation: a-poh-LAY
Translation: shouldered
The Positions to the Front
Quatrième croisée devant / Croisé Devant / Croisé
Pronunciation: krwah-ZAY duh-VAHN
Translation: crossed in front
À la Quatrième Devant/ En Face
Pronunciation: a lah ka-tree-EM duh-VAHN
Translation: to the fourth front
Quatrième Ouverte Devant / Effacé Devant
Pronunciation: eh-fa-SAY duh-VAHN
Translation: effacé in front
The Positions to the Side
Écarté Devant
Pronunciation: ay-kar-TAY duh-VAHN
Translation: écarté to the front
À la Seconde / side
Pronunciation: ah la suh-GAWND
Translation: to the second
Écarté Derrière
Pronunciation: ay-kar-TAY deh-RYEHR
Translation: écarté to the back
The Positions to the Back
Quatrième Ouverte Derrière / Effacé Derrière
Pronunciation:eh-fa-SAY deh-RYEHR
Translation: effacé in back
À la Quatrième Derrière / Back
Pronunciation: a lah ka-tree-EM deh-RYEHR
Translation: to the fourth position back
Quatrième croisée derrière / Croisé Derrière
Pronunciation: krwah-ZAY deh-RYEHR
Translation: Crossed in back
Fancy Positions
Épaulé / Épaulé Devant
Pronunciation: a-poh-LAY
Translation: shouldered
Épaulé Derriere
Pronunciation: a-poh-LAY deh-RYEHR
Translation: épaulé to the back
It is the same position as Cecchetti épualé but facing either one of the two upstage corners.
