fourth position
Plural
fourth positions
1
a ballet stance where one foot is placed in front of the other, with the heel of the front foot positioned near the arch of the back foot
The fourth position is a basic stance in ballet where the dancer's feet are placed one in front of the other, with a small gap between them, and both feet are turned out. The toes of each foot point outward, away from the body, while the heels are aligned with each other. The feet are usually separated by about the length of one foot, with the front foot slightly forward. The arms can be positioned in various ways depending on the exercise, such as one arm rounded in front of the body and the other extended to the side. The fourth position is used as a transition between other positions and is important for developing balance and control in ballet.
2
a higher hand placement on the fingerboard of a string instrument for accessing higher range notes
The fourth position is a hand placement used in string instruments, such as the violin, where the fingers are shifted further up the fingerboard compared to the third position. In this position, the hand is moved higher to reach even higher notes. This shift allows the player to access a wider range of pitches and facilitates playing more complex musical passages while maintaining proper hand alignment and finger placement.