Now the first thing to acquire is a knowledge of the fundamental rules
of the dance, since everything depends upon them, and no one may hope
to attain proficiency without this knowledge.

The fundamental positions of the ballet are five, and their complete
mastery has been the prime factor in the success of every ballet
dancer since the dance was invented. You will be constantly referred
to "first position," "third position," and the others throughout your
instruction, and you must know instantly and intuitively what each
reference means as you hear it or read it, and to do this you must
have the five position thoroughly absorbed into your inner
consciousness. That means, practice the five positions over and over,
day after day. No ballet dancer ever was entitled to this name without
she knew these five rules of the dance.

The five positions for practice at the bar are here given, and the
primary exercise at each position described and pictured.

_First Position:_ Stand erect, with the head up, the legs straight,
the heels together, the toes pointed out, the weight of the body
evenly distributed between the two feet. Extend one arm to lightly
grasp the bar, and carry the other arm straight out from the shoulder,
in a slightly relaxed position, as shown in the diagram. The thumb
should rest on the tip of the first finger, the middle and ring
fingers slightly bent, the little finger extended so that it is
slightly separated from the others, the wrist bent slightly downward.
The whole attitude should be flexible and graceful.

[Illustration: _First Ballet Position_]

Now lower the body by bending the knees. The feet should be kept flat
on the floor, the heels raised from the floor as little as possible
when bending the legs. The knees should be extended to the sides, as
shown in the diagram. The free arm should follow the attitude of the
legs--that is, it should be lowered to the waist when the knees are
bent. This bending should be repeated four times.

[Illustration: _Second Ballet Position_]

_Second Position:_ From the first position, keeping both legs
straight, slide the right foot sideways until leg and foot are fully
extended without moving the torso. Then place the weight of the body
on both feet with heels on the floor. The head should be in a straight
line above the center of the space between the heels. Now bend and
rise slowly four times, without raising the heels from the floor.

[Illustration: _Th