Proper distance from the barre

Stand with your arms in second, lower your barre arm and your hand should rest lightly on the barre. Your elbow should be dropped, don't grip the barre, blah, blah... blah.

When you are doing your pliés, you set yourself up so that you are the proper distance from the barre. Some syllabi tell you to not move your barre foot (the one closest to the barre) when you change to second position or fourth or fifth. I understand the logic of this: You want to be solid on that foot/leg. However, if you don't move that foot when you change position, you will no longer be the proper distance from the barre. If you start in first, you'll be too far away in second, and too close in fourth and fifth. 

That simply does not make any sense to me. The way dancers hold onto the barre is a huge issue. If you grip the barre, you put your balance into your hand, not on your feet, where it should be. If you're not the proper distance, it will affect that. Your hand should be free to move on the barre as you adjust your weight during an exercise. If you're not the proper distance, well, I hope you get the picture.

I tell my students that they may move both feet when changing position in pliés. I explain why, then tell them that some teachers don't want them to do that, so in their classes, they must do what those teachers want. I was initially taught not to move my barre foot, but it almost instantly occurred to me that this didn't make sense, since I was also told to stand the proper distance from the barre. I do my best not to teach contradictory things. (See my post on syllabi that contradict themselves, and why I don't slavishly adhere to only one syllabus).

So, maintain the proper distance to the barre, and I'll see you in class.