xanthe Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 I need to take some photographs for an audition application and I'm a bit stuck on where DD's arms should be! The position they want is: tendu devant à terre effacé with arms in 4th DD does Cecchetti method and there are two fourth position arms and I have no idea which one to use - and having consulted google there seem to be different ones for the different schools. Shall I go with the left leg forward, left arm in second and right arm in fifth en haut? Hopefully I'm matching the right arms to legs!Does anyone know of a good book or online resource that shows dancers correctly demonstrating all the basic positions and moves in photographs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 You could either contact the place where your daughter is auditioning and ask them or just send in a photo of the two different types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 Hi, based on knowledge of audition photo requirements I would think it is one arm above the head and one at the side as in (2): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 Yes, position number 2 is the one they are after. A very good book is The Ballet Companion by Eliza Gaynor Minden. It has lovely photos of arm positions, arabesques and much more, with the different name they have in the major systems, Bournonville, Cecchetti, French, RAD and Russian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanthe Posted April 15, 2017 Author Share Posted April 15, 2017 Fantastic - thank you so much for the image and the book recommendation. Off to order a copy. RBS are very helpful in including the images with their photo requests - confirms the other pics I need as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 Has your daughter covered efface yet? The 2nd pic is very similar to a cecchetti efface arm position. A 4th en haut with back arm in second would look very wrong to me but I'm sure if it's vaugely the position shown you wouldn't be penalised! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 1 hour ago, xanthe said: Fantastic - thank you so much for the image and the book recommendation. Off to order a copy. RBS are very helpful in including the images with their photo requests - confirms the other pics I need as well. The author of the book is the same woman who invented Gaynor Minden pointe shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanthe Posted April 15, 2017 Author Share Posted April 15, 2017 3 hours ago, Moomin said: Has your daughter covered efface yet? The 2nd pic is very similar to a cecchetti efface arm position. A 4th en haut with back arm in second would look very wrong to me but I'm sure if it's vaugely the position shown you wouldn't be penalised! I'm not sure that she has... I sat in on the end-of-term class a few weeks ago and while they did an exercise with all the arm movements, it wasn't in combination with different feet and they only did tendus at the barre. Also checked the syllabus for Grade 2 and it's not in there. I've had a look at some pics of efface and that definitely looks like the diagram... ugh, I haven't danced a ballet step for over 30 years and DD is already way past where I was! The RBS pictures are showing the photo requirements for the mids and seniors, whereas the application is for juniors at a different school, so I'm hoping that an approximation will be okay. I was a bit surprised that they want them in tights and shoes not bare feet too. I've bought the Gaynor Minden book via kindle so I can enlarge the pics and work out where every toe should go - it's a good read from the looks of it as well. Hopefully I'll manage something reasonable enough for their needs! Unfortunately DD's school has classes back-to-back and I don't see the teacher at all so I'm winging it rather a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 Didn't realise she was that young, no she won't have done it yet. I don't think it's taught until about grade 5 or 6. It's tricky to get right with the head as shown in the pic! Perhaps they are looking for a squarer 4 th position. It's difficult to know without pictures isn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanthe Posted April 15, 2017 Author Share Posted April 15, 2017 I looked right through the Grades and it still hadn't shown up at 5. Does seem a tad odd to include something that many of the children aren't old enough to have even studied yet, but hopefully they're just for prompts rather than selection. The school in question is YDA for their associate scheme ages 8-12 - it's not completely clear if they pre-select on photos or if they audition all of them as RBS do. They're wanting 3 photos: Demi plié 1st position with arms in second - simple enough. RBS wanted demi plié 1st position with arms in first. Tendu devant à terre effacé with arms in 4th - the problem one! RBS asked for tendu devant à terre effacé with arms in preparatory. Tendu a la second à terre en face with arms in 2nd - RBS wanted tendu a la second à terre en face with arms in preparatory. Although, to be fair, RBS didn't actually say what they wanted for the juniors, just did diagrams - happily they did both descriptions and diagrams for the Mids and Seniors so between that and google we worked out what each one required (prays that the arms were in preparatory)! I'm starting to think the schools should all offer a prize to the parent who best interprets the photo requirements with extra points given for originality and any new ballet moves invented in the process! I'm going to have a bash at taking them on Tuesday as her school has lots of lovely white walls I can stand her in front of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Xanthe - I'm sure even if the positioning is incorrect it won't count against your dd? Maybe put a note on back of photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanthe Posted April 16, 2017 Author Share Posted April 16, 2017 I'm pretty sure that they'll be happy with ballpark (which is why I haven't been ringing/emailing to ask) - it's more my perfectionist tendencies coming out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 I'm sure position 2 in Dr Dance post is the one....it's certainly the efface position of the leg ...it sort of means open position so,the leg furthest from the audience is extended. Croisee position would mean the nearest leg to the audience extended ....so more blocked if you get my meaning. The only thing about the arm positions is that could it be the back arm up in fifth as well( eg the left arm) so same arm up as leg extended......that would be the most "open" position possible and is not shown in any of the diagrams but I'm sure by "efface" they are referring more to the position of the legs. why on earth don't these schools just send out pictures of the exact piccies they want....would make things a lot easier for everyone!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanthe Posted April 16, 2017 Author Share Posted April 16, 2017 Found this online - does it look like the right kind of thing? http://ballerinajournal.blogspot.co.uk/2012_09_01_archive.html (second pic down in case the copy and paste doesn't work!) Would be v helpful if the schools had photos - I found it quite tricky working out where the wretched feet and legs were supposed to be with the RBS ones from the diagrams. Photos show a lot more detail in terms of what goes where! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanprincess Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 23 hours ago, xanthe said: I looked right through the Grades and it still hadn't shown up at 5. Does seem a tad odd to include something that many of the children aren't old enough to have even studied yet, but hopefully they're just for prompts rather than selection. The school in question is YDA for their associate scheme ages 8-12 - it's not completely clear if they pre-select on photos or if they audition all of them as RBS do. They're wanting 3 photos: Demi plié 1st position with arms in second - simple enough. RBS wanted demi plié 1st position with arms in first. Tendu devant à terre effacé with arms in 4th - the problem one! RBS asked for tendu devant à terre effacé with arms in preparatory. Tendu a la second à terre en face with arms in 2nd - RBS wanted tendu a la second à terre en face with arms in preparatory. Although, to be fair, RBS didn't actually say what they wanted for the juniors, just did diagrams - happily they did both descriptions and diagrams for the Mids and Seniors so between that and google we worked out what each one required (prays that the arms were in preparatory)! I'm starting to think the schools should all offer a prize to the parent who best interprets the photo requirements with extra points given for originality and any new ballet moves invented in the process! I'm going to have a bash at taking them on Tuesday as her school has lots of lovely white walls I can stand her in front of. The tendu devant effacé with arms in 4th is required for RBS SA and upper school- so the one DrDance posted is correct; if the right leg is extended in the tendu efface, the left arm will be high in 5th/en haut/en couronné, with the right arm in 2nd ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 RB alignments video This might help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/balletclassroom.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/ballet-positions-of-the-body/amp/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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