Exercises at the bar (or barre). A group of exercises performed by the dancer
while clasping a bar with one hand. This bar, generally a cylindrical piece of
wood is fastened horizontally to the walls of the practice room at a height of
about three feet six inches from the floor. Bar exercises, or side practice, are
the foundation of classical ballet and are to the dancer what scales are to the
pianist. Every ballet lesson begins with these exercises. It is at the bar that
the dancer acquires the fundamental training for the attributes he must possess.
These exercises are essential for developing the muscles correctly, turning the
legs out from the hips and gaining control and flexibility of the joints and
muscles. The exercises at the bar can be simple or varied but in general they
include the following movements:
Pliés in the first, second, fourth and fifth positions.
