Learn ballet basics just in time for World Ballet Day

Spend a night at the ballet. And a morning, an afternoon and an evening, as well.

Starting at 9pm ET tonight, you can stream live, continuous behind-the-scenes footage from five of the best dance companies around the globe. It's all part of World Ballet Day, a 23-hour webcast and celebration of dance that set a YouTube record last year for being the longest livestream ever hosted on the platform. (And it was only 20 hours long back then.)

Full information on the 2015 viewing schedule, including details on where to watch, can be found here. And much like its 2014 debut edition, this year's stream will globe trot from the Australian Ballet to Russia's Bolshoi to The Royal Ballet in the U.K. before reaching The National Ballet of Canada, and finally, the San Francisco Ballet in the United States.

Our NBoC is ready for their closeup starting October 1 at 11 am ET. Tune into their YouTube page through 4 pm ET to join a full day of rehearsals at Montreal's Place des Arts.

But World Ballet Day isn't just about watching feats of athleticism and art. It's about participating, too — and if you're brave enough to share photographic evidence of your moves, your pics could be included as part of a regular feature of the webcast. 

The event's asking people to take photos of themselves dancing and post them to Facebook and Twitter and Instagram with the #WorldBalletDay hashtag. 

But what about those of us who dream of being on pointe...

But can barely touch our toes?

We need to start at the beginning. And that's okay. Every ballet star starts with the basics — the five basic positions of hands and feet. CBC Arts asked Denise Solleza, a Toronto-based dance artist, to teach us these fundamental moves —  shapes that inform how you dance ballet.

"They're sort of a guide," Solleza explains, "like different landmarks that you pass through as you move through positions."

She learned them at age three. You can learn them in minutes. Follow her lead so you can strike a confident pose for your #WorldBalletDay selfie. (Photos by Sarah Keenlyside.)

First Position

Feet: Bring your heels together with your toes pointing out to make a "V."
Arms: Let your arms form an oval — "in front of your belly button," says Solleza. "That's what you tell little kids most of the time."

Second Position

Feet: Keep your heels aligned with each other, but spread your feet at hip distance, with toes pointing out.
Arms: "This is sort of a wide open position," says Solleza. "Your arms are open, fingertips pointing to the opposite walls."

Third Position

Feet: Bring one foot forward, so that its heel touches the other foot's arch.
Arms: "There are different schools of ballet: there's R.A.D. (Royal Academy of Dance), there's Cecchetti. So depending on which school of ballet you follow, it changes," Solleza explains. She lifts one arm over her head. "The other is open to the side, the same as the second position."

Fourth Position

Feet: "You're one foot in front of the other, sort of in a cross position."
Arms: "Again, this is different for whatever style of ballet that you practice," Solleza says. "One arm is over your head and your other arm is in front of you in line with your bellybutton."

Fifth Position

Feet: "A very crossed, closed position," says Solleza. "Your front heel is touching the back foot's big toe."
Arms: Raise them up over your head in a relaxed, circular shape. 

Suddenly inspired to share a #WorldBalletDay photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram? Follow @CBCArts and tell us! 

Watch the World Ballet Day broadcast at worldballetday.com, and get a preview of this year's event below.