Ballet

Lyrical and ballet are both extremely common yet incredibly different types of dance. They both differ from each other for numerous reasons. Before ballerinas begin their extensive class, theinstructor warms the dancers muscles up at the barre. A barre is a long wooden horizontal rail attached to the wall and is approximately the height of the dancers rib cage. When the dancer is at the barre,they practice such combinations as plies, ton dues, devlapes, frappes, and grand batemas, just to name a few. In lyrical, the student is required to warm up on their own in the center of the floor withno set combinations at the barre.

Lyrical doesnt follow most of the challenging terms that ballet instructors use. Jette, split leap, boure, pass, and calypso are just a few terms that both balletand lyrical teachers use to instruct a class. Ballet has a set of five positions that are used commonly at the barre, across the floor, or in the center of the room. First position is when the feetare turned out and the heels touch, second position can be done by simply taking your feet from first position and moving them outwards to the sides a little further than shoulder width. In order to dothird position, the ballerina must then take either her right or left heel and place it in the middle of the opposite foot to form a T. Fourth position is simply done by placing the foot that isturned out in third and pushing it forward so it creates the illusion of an open T shape.

Fifth position is the most complicated position to work from. Take the right foot and turn it out so the toesare facing the wall to the right side of you, then simply drag the left foot directly behind it so both feet touch, but the left foot is turned out facing the wall to the left side of you. In ballet,these five positions are somehow incorporated into every move that is done. Lyrical, on the other hand is not quite as demanding term wise as ballet. Sometimes lyrical is called the lazy mans ballet...