ballet position
- noun
- /bæˈleɪ pəˈzɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
posición de ballet
- Their feet turned out in classic ballet position, their expressions stark like those of pantomime figures, and their arms gesticulating woodenly; Burger and Htzel are formally linked but do not seem to interact.
Examples
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I don't think there's anything funny about doing the five ballet positions every morning.
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The dancer held the ballet position perfectly, showcasing her years of training.
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I mean, we didn't mean to laugh at your ballet positions.
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A committee member with expertise in dance created a large canvas floor piece on which the ballet positions were imprinted.
Academic text (1999) -
During the class, we practiced each ballet position to improve our technique.
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She demonstrated the correct ballet position, emphasizing the importance of posture in dance.
Synonyms
4
8.5
To stand and dance on the tips of the toes while wearing special shoes
2
8.9
A ballet pose with one leg stretched straight back and the arms held out
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a classical posture used in ballet' is directly derivable from combining 'ballet' (a form of staged dance) with 'position' (a physical posture or arrangement). This straightforward noun–noun composition mirrors equivalent phrases in many languages and follows regular compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.
Etymology
The term ballet position comes from early French dance teachers who set simple, repeatable positions for the feet and body so every dancer used the same basic poses. These clear shapes became the starting point for all steps, so today ballet position means the standard 'posture' dancers learn.