Arabesque (ballet position)

When the angle is much greater than 90° and the body trunk leans forward to counterbalance the working leg, the position is called arabesque penchée.

Galina Kekisheva, a former soloist of the Kirov Ballet who studied with Agrippina Vaganova at the Leningrad School of Dance has described the changes in Russian ballet technique over time:[2] Now it seems unimportant in the school if the dancer stands on his or her leg properly pulled up, or sits back into the hip socket.

When you're sitting back on the [joint of the standing] leg, you can't go anywhere from there.Kekisheva, who is now a coach with the Mariinsky ballet, has said that "Vaganova's method is dissipating, and working in the classical repertoire has become more difficult".

In arabesque tendue or dégagé, the leg comes from the hip[clarify] and does not affect aplomb as the back remains straight.

[3] Schorer says the arabesque pliée "is good to build strength in your legs to control the rate of descent to hold your body up when you land".

Here they are described for a dancer facing point 6: The "Shades scene" from La Bayadère, choreographed by Marius Petipa, is one of the masterpieces of classical style.

It opens with a corps de ballet of 28 female dancers, dressed in white performing a simple arabesque as they make their entrance one by one.