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Step 1
Have a good "Turn Out." A ballet dancer's legs should turn out from the hip to show off the muscled shape of the leg. Turn the back of the thigh inward while the inner part of your thigh faces forward. The foot will then point outward. Do not turn the ankle to achieve this.
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Step 2
Strike an "efface" position. Effacé simply means your legs or arms are in open alignment with each other. If one arm is up, the other will be down to the side with one foot back. You should have a beautifully angled tilt to your head within the alignment.
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Step 3
Cross one leg in front of the other for a "Croisé" placement, or crossed alignment. The hip of your forward leg goes toward the audience or the front of the stage. This usually is done in the fifth and fourth leg positions of basic ballet.
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Step 4
Place a leg or an arm in front of the body for the "Devant" position. The moving foot will be in the closed position and leading toward the front.
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Step 5
Move a limp toward the rear for the "Derriere" placement. Even tilting your head toward the back is referred to as a derrière step. The working foot will be in a closed position at the back of the body.
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Step 6
Face the audience in any position for "En Face" placement and "En Arriere" to move back. Combine the placements into moves such as Croisé Devant, Effacé Devant, À la Second, Croisé Derrière and Effacé Derrière.
