Arabesque (ballet position)

In dance (particularly ballet), arabesque (French: [aʁabɛsk]; literally, "in Arabic fashion") is a body position in which a dancer stands on one leg (the supporting leg) with the other leg (the working leg) turned out and extended behind the body, with both legs held straight. In classical ballet, an arabesque can be executed with the supporting leg en pointe or demi pointe or with foot flat on the floor.

The working leg may touch the floor in tendu back (arabesque par terre) or be elevated. Common elevation angles of the raised leg are 45° (à demi hauteur) and 90° (à la hauteur). When the angle is much greater than 90° and the body trunk leans forward to counterbalance the working leg, the position is called arabesque penché (or penchée, a common misspelling of the French word). The arms may be held in various positions.

Arabesque positions are assigned numeric references (e.g., "second arabesque") in some ballet training systems. In the descriptions below, these arabesques are described from the perspective of the dancer, in terms of the stage reference points used by the training system.

In the Vaganova method there are four basic arabesque positions. They are described here for a dancer facing point 8. In class practice, the arms are always level with the shoulders (arabesque de classe), whereas in performance the arm in front may be raised above shoulder level (arabesque de scene). The elbows are always facing downwards.

In the first arabesque, the dancer stands in effacé position (with the left foot in front) with the right leg raised in arabesque, the right arm extended to the side (to the audience) and the left arm extended front (towards the corner). The gaze follows the line of the arm extended en avant.

In the second arabesque the legs are like in the first arabesque, but the right arm is extended en avant while the left arm is extended aligned with the dancer's shoulder; the shoulders are in épaulement in line with the arms and the gaze is turned to the audience. The dancer's face is turned toward point 1.

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