Ballet for Beginners: How to Do a First Position Plié

Ballet for Dummies:

How to do First Position Plié for Beginners

Plié, [Plee-ey]

The French word for bending; to bend.

History

The word is a present participle that originated in 1890, France. The plié is used in dance so that your muscles absorb shock when jumping.

First position in ballet is a posture and arrangement of feet and hips in an outward rotation. You might notice that ballerinas often walk with their feet turned out. This is because all ballet positions and moves are done in turn out, where the feet and hips are turned out. The plié is the movement of bending your knees while in first position turnout.

This maneuver is a keystone staple in the art of ballet. Though simple and generic, first position plié is the first and most important step of learning technique and form necessary to execute most dance moves. The first position plié is used as a supplemental warm up for barre combinations and is also used to prep for large turns and jumps. This exercise primarily targets the quads and core.

In ballet, a dancer’s form is everything. It seems like a daunting task, but with practice even a beginner can master the first position plié. Today you will learn how to position your body in a graceful manner to shape your body into ballerina/o to prep for future variations.

Click to Watch (step by step video of how to do a plié)

Health & Safety Disclaimer

Please note: if you are injured or are experiencing any knee or hip pain, do not

try without consulting a medical physician first.

Things to consider before dancing or trying any new physical activity may include:

- Knowing your own physical limits and abilities. It is always good to breathe deep and ease into something new, without pushing past your body’s physical point.

- May want to stretch, flexibility training video linked below.

https://www.instructables.com/10-Min-Full-Body-Flexibility-Training/

Step 1: Standing at the barre (or against a wall/chair if you do not have a barre) either side it does not matter. This helps your balance.

Step 2: Stand with your feet together, placing one hand on the barre/wall/chair and the other hand on your hip.

Step 3: Keeping good posture with upper body straightened, rotate both feet outward, and pointing away from each other.

*Please Note: For knee safety, toes should never go past the shoulders!

Step 4: At this point, toes should be facing outward and heels should still be touching as much as possible. To help with this, try squeezing your inner thighs, behind and contracting your abs inward. This will help you stay centered with good posture.

Step 5: You are now in first position turn out and your hips are in outward rotation. You can wiggle around in the position to find your comfortability.

Step 6: You will now begin to slightly bend your knees while keeping your upper body straight. Keep your head up, do not stare at your feet. Your legs should create a diamond with your feet at the bottom. Imagine somebody throwing a beach ball at your lower body and you want to slightly squat so it goes right through your legs.

Step 7: Now come back to a standing straight position, still squeezing everything tight. This should not be a fast movement.

Step 8: Try the plié again, keeping your hand on your hip and the other on the barre/wall/chair, only this time make sure you have your tail bone facing straight down to the floor. Do not stick your behind out like a duck while bending your knees. This is not a squat.

Once you continue this a few times, you will begin to understand the point of the plié is to help you gracefully lunge into a jump or turn, landing in plié again, remaining in a centered state. Most importantly, as you target your core and thighs during this position, your muscles are doing the work for you while executing any swift dance move, to absorb shock as you land on the floor. Not only does it achieve a more graceful appearance, but it prevents injury.