Page "Glossary of ballet" Paragraph 162

The basic five positions of the feet on the floor were set down by the dancing master Pierre Beauchamp in the late 17th century.

( Beauchamp, dance master of King Louis XIV, is also credited for having contributed the barre to ballet.

) Two more positions were introduced by Serge Lifar during his career as Ballet Master at the Paris Opéra Ballet ( 1929 – 45, 1947 – 58 ); their use nowadays is mostly limited to Lifar's choreographies.