A beginner's guide to ballet
Ballet from first position
Every ballet class is built from the same handful of positions and steps. Pick a tour, follow it step by step, and watch the dancer show you each shape, with what to feel and what to avoid. Accompanists will find the music for every exercise below.
Ten guided tours
Grouped in the order a class uses them. Hover a card to preview the movement, then open it to go step by step.
How a class runs
Classes follow the same order almost everywhere, so knowing it makes your first class far less confusing. Click any exercise to hear what kind of music goes with it.
Turnout is earned
The legs rotate outward from the hips. Work with the turnout you have; forcing the feet causes knee injuries.
Everything is counted
Exercises are set to music in phrases of eight counts. Listening to the pianist is part of the technique.
The barre is a guide
Rest your hand on it lightly. If you lean on it, you won't be able to balance in the centre.
The terms are French
Ballet vocabulary was set down in 17th-century France, so classes worldwide use the same French words.
For new accompanists
Playing for class
Knowing what to play is half the job. These eight steps cover how to play for a ballet class, from watching the teacher's demonstration to the last chord of the révérence.
For class accompanists
Music for class
382 pieces from ballet scores, opera, concert and piano literature, film and pop, each filed under the exercises it suits, with notes on how to use it. Choose an exercise, or search the whole catalogue.
Free scores link to IMSLP, the public-domain music library. No account is needed, though free downloads show a short wait first. Ballet numbers open the complete ballet, so look for the number you want inside it (piano reductions are usually listed too). Copyright rules differ by country, so check before printing.
By Valentin Sarić
Ballet books
Original class music, improvisation workbooks and guides from a composer and ballet accompanist, for pianists, teachers and dancers. All available on Amazon.
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From the maker of First Position
Arabesque — a social platform for dancers and dance explorers
Finished a tour here and want to talk about it? Arabesque is a calm, ad-free social platform where every post is about dance — classical and modern ballet, modern, contemporary and folk.
- Follow dancers, teachers and companies, and ask questions without fear
- Share class notes and music lists as PDFs
- Galatea, the dance assistant, helps you write and plan — and never posts without you
- Free to join · install it on your phone like an app
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