vladimir ivanovich stepanov developed the five positions of the feet in ballet that are still used today.
vladimir ivanovich stepanov developed the five positions of the feet in ballet that are still used today.
who developed the five positions of the feet in ballet that are still used today?
vladimir ivanovich stepanov
the positions of the feet in ballet is a fundamental part of classical ballet technique that defines standard placements of feet on the floor. there are five basic positions in modern-day classical ballet, known as the first through fifth positions. in 1725, dancing master pierre rameau credited the codification of these five positions to choreographer pierre beauchamp. two additional positions, known as the sixth and seventh positions, were codified by serge lifar in the 1930s while serving as ballet master at the paris opéra ballet, though their use is limited to lifar's choreographies. the sixth and seventh positions were not lifar's inventions, but revivals of positions that already existed in the eighteenth century, when there were ten positions of the feet in classical ballet.
positions of the feet in ballet
as part of his effort to revitalize dance, lifar thought the basic principles of ballet—specifically the five positions of the feet—denied mobility for the dancer. he codified two additional positions, known as the sixth and seventh positions, with the feet turned in, not out like the first five positions. the sixth and seventh positions were not lifar's inventions, but revivals of positions that already existed in the eighteenth century, when there were ten positions of the feet in classical ballet; and their use is limited to lifar's choreographies.
serge lifar