What skills do beginner ballet students usually learn?

Brooklyn: What skills do beginner ballet students usually learn?
I am 14 years old and I would really like to start ballet this fall. I don’t have any dance experience, but I was just curious what kinds of things people my age usually learn at beginner level? Please describe for someone who doesn’t know all that much about ballet.

Answers and Views:

Answer by dlg
Basic vocabulary and technique. Don’t worry, if you’re in a beginner class then don’t stress about not knowing much about ballet. But I can gurantee you’ll learn the 5 positions and basic steps. Since it sounds like it’s a yearlong class, you’ll add on to this and probably start other basic/common but trickier steps by the end of the year (pirouettes–>turns, etc.) To put it very simply, ballet is all about building and perfecting your vocabulary.

Answer by music.is.my.drug
I’ll try to think back to when I started, which was a while ago, so this could be all wrong… But basically you’d get a feel for moving to the beat of the music, and be comfortable with it. You would learn the 5 basic feet and arm positions, 1st through 5th. You would definitely do some bar exercises, and probably learn some basic ballet terms, like releve, where you raise on to your toes, and plie, where you bend at the knees, and a bunch more. You’ll learn all about pointing your toes, and probably work on choreography. I restarted ballet after like, 4 or 5 years of not doing it, so it feels like a lot to learn at first, but already I can tell it’s paying off. It really strengthens your legs ! 😛 Anyways, good luck!!

Answer by Miranda G
You will learn turnout, good posture, the 5 positions of the feet, arms/port de bras, jumps technique, terminology, vocabulary. Once the basics are learnt you will then go on to learn technique for core strengthening and balance. The skills of ballet are learnt progressively by which I mean that the early basic steps and moves lead on to the more advanced work when learnt in sequence.
For example, if you were 3 – 5 you are taught points to the front and close, then battements tendues en croix, then grande battements en croix (both at the barre) then battements en cloche at the barre then do everything in the centre without the barre as a support. Now I realise most of this means nothing to you but this is just the french terminology.
battement = beating
tendue = to stretch
grande = big
en croix = in the shape of a cross ( working leg at the barre)
Good luck and I hope this answered your question.