Ballet Positions of the Body

Eight directions of the body and Épaulement~
Épaulement is shouldering or the placing of the shoulders.
As the working leg goes through the positions, the body moves
from the waist upward, bringing one shoulder forward and
the other back with the head turned or inclined.
So, use the list below while watching both the legs and
the épaulement of Royal Opera House Ballet First Artist,
Romany Pajdak, as she starts with the right leg and then
repeats the eight positions of the body with her left leg..
Croisé devant
À la quatrième (1) devant
Écarté (2) devant
Effacé devant
À la seconde
Efface (3) derrière
À la quatrième derrière
Croisé (4) derrière
(Then, in class to get to the left leg, we draw in to coupé
then pas de bourrée en tournant to the other side.)
(1) Quatrième is like Premier or première~ first; Deuxième~second;
Troisième~ third; Quatrième~ fourth; and Cinquième~ fifth.
(2) Écarté means separated or thrown wide apart.
The dancer faces either one of the two front corners (one or two).
The downstage leg is pointed in the second à terre or en l'air.
The torso is held perpendicular and arms are en attitude with the
raised arm on the same side as the extended leg.
(3) Efacé (or effacée) means shaded so that when you stand at an
oblique angle to the audience part your body is taken back and
slightly hidden from view. Effacé can be devant or derrière and
either à terre or en l'air.
(4) Not to be confused with en croix (in the shape of a cross
when we go from fourth to the front, second to the side,
fourth to the back, or vice versa, as in battements tendus en croix)