"First position" redirects here. For the role, see Front-runner. For the documentary film, see First Position.
Arms in Cecchetti's "Spanish fourth" position
There are two basic positions of the arms in ballet. In one, the dancer keeps the fingers of both arms fully touching to form an oval shape, either almost touching the hips, or at navel level, or raised above the dancer's head. In the other, the arms are extended to the sides with the elbows slightly bent. These positions may be combined to give other positions.
Names differ according to the school/method followed, such as Vaganova, French, Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Cecchetti, etc. of the arms; the corresponding allongés positions are obtained by stretching the elbows and rotating the palms of the hands downwards.
Bras bas or preparatory position: both arms are down and rounded with both hands just in front of the hips, fingers almost touching.
First position: maintaining the curved shape, arms are brought up so that the tips of the fingers are in line with the navel or no higher than the sternum.
Second position: arms are out to the sides, angled down and forward, with palms facing forward. Elbows are slightly lower than the shoulders, and wrists are level with the elbow.
Third position: arms are curved as in the first position and raised just above and slightly forward of the head.
Fifth position: arms are extended above your head, slightly frontwards, as arms maintain a gently curved line. Shoulders must be kept down.
Combinations of the basic arm positions are called:
Petite pose: one arm is in the second position, the other is in the first position.
Grande pose: one arm is in the second position, the other is in the third position.
Bras bas or bras au repos: both arms are rounded with the fingers almost touching, both hands just in front of the hips.
First position: maintaining this curved shape, arms are brought up so that the tips of the fingers are in line with the navel.
Second position: arms are out to the sides, angled down and forward, with palms facing forward. Elbows are slightly lower than the shoulders, and wrists are slightly lower than the elbow.
Third position: one arm is in the second position, the other is in the first position.
Fourth crossed position: one arm is in the first position, the other is rounded and raised above the head.
Fourth ordinary position: one arm is in the second position, the other is rounded and raised above the head.
Fifth position or bras en couronne: both arms are rounded and held above and slightly forward of the head.
First position: both arms are slightly rounded with the fingers slightly away from the dancer's thighs (as if grazing above the tutu).
Second position: arms are out to the sides with an angle down and forward, palms facing forward. The elbow is slightly lower than the shoulder, and the wrist is slightly lower than the elbow. A position intermediate between the first and the second position is called demi-seconde.
Third position: one arm is in the first position, the other is in demi-seconde.
Fourth position: there are two fourth positions; fourth en avant (in front): one arm is in second position, the other is in fifth en avant; fourth en haut (high): one arm is in second position, the other is in fifth position en haut.
Fifth position: whenever the arms are rounded to form an oval, they are in fifth position. There is a fifth position en bas (down); en avant (forward - Russian and French first position); and en haut (high - Russian third position).
A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army use formal salutes. Ordinary civilians also salute informally to greet or acknowledge the presence of another person; such as a tip of the hat or a hand wave to a friend or neighbour.
The ulna is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of the forearm as the little finger. It runs parallel to the radius, the other long bone in the forearm. The ulna is usually slightly longer than the radius, but the radius is thicker. Therefore, the radius is considered to be the larger of the two.
Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It also has a different start from the other three competition swimming styles. The swimming style is similar to an upside down front crawl or freestyle. Both backstroke and front crawl are long-axis strokes. In individual medley backstroke is the second style swum; in the medley relay it is the first style swum.
Because ballet became formalized in France, a significant part of ballet terminology is in the French language.
Bondage in BDSM, is the activity of tying or restraining people using equipment such as chains, cuffs, or collars for mutual erotic pleasure. According to the Kinsey Institute, 12% of females and 22% of males respond erotically to BDSM.
A strike is a directed physical attack with either a part of the human body or with an inanimate object intended to cause blunt trauma or penetrating trauma upon an opponent.
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Arm wrestling is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top. The sport is often casually used to demonstrate the stronger person between two or more people.
Dance position is a position of a dancer or a mutual position of a dance couple assumed during a dance. Describing and mastering proper dance positions is an important part of dance technique.
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pressing their elbow into your thigh, and the triangle armbar, like a triangle choke, but you press their elbow into your thigh. An armlock that hyper-rotates the arm is known as an armcoil, and includes the americana, kimura, and omaplata. Depending on the joint flexibility of a person, armcoils can either hyper-rotate only the shoulder joint, only the elbow joint, or both the elbow joint and shoulder joint. Generally, armcoils hurt more than armbars, as they attack several joints at the bone and muscle.
Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative to the anatomical position of the body parts involved. Anatomists and others use a unified set of terms to describe most of the movements, although other, more specialized terms are necessary for describing unique movements such as those of the hands, feet, and eyes.
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The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle swimming competition, and hence freestyle is used metonymically for the front crawl. It is one of two long axis strokes, the other one being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, the butterfly stroke, and the breaststroke, the front crawl is not regulated by the FINA. This style is sometimes referred to as the Australian crawl although this can sometimes refer to a more specific variant of front crawl.
The promenade position is a dance position in ballroom and other dances. It is described differently in various dance categories.
In ballet, battement is an alternating side-to-side movement of the working (non-supporting) leg. Battements are typically performed in multiples, quickly and in rapid succession so that the working foot appears to be fluttering or vibrating. They are usually executed in front, to the side or in back. The word battement is of French origin, meaning "beat".
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Mandukasana, or Frog posture is a group of seated asanas in Hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, all of which put the body in a shape like that of a frog. Another frog-like posture is Bhekasana.
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