How high should I lift my leg in an arabesque? 45ยฐ? 90ยฐ? or higher ? The current trend seems to be โ€˜the higher, the betterโ€™ and sometimes I feel that it is understood as the new criteria for a good arabesque. I have nothing against high extensions, and if you can lift your leg at 130ยฐ with proper alignment, use it… But use it when appropriate!

It is all a matter of hauteur…

Ballet is like lacework (โ€˜dentelleโ€™ in french), it is precise and requires attention to details. The smallest changes in the pattern modify the overall look of the whole piece. The same goes with your leg height in arabesque: the height you choose must be precise and thereโ€™s no room for in-between. What are the codified leg heights in an arabesque?

ร€ la hauteur

In French, โ€˜heightโ€™ is โ€˜hauteurโ€™ and โ€œร  la hauteurโ€™ refers to the gesture leg reaching, or holding a position, at 90ยฐ. It is understood that it means โ€˜ร  la hauteur de la hancheโ€™, โ€˜at hip heightโ€™. It is the height at which your gesture leg is perfectly horizontal and parallel to the floor.

To me โ€˜ร  la hauteur de la hancheโ€™ is very meaningful as I can visualise my leg reaching the height of my hips. This visual cue helps me connect my gesture leg to my hips and my supporting leg and have a more global view of the movement and position. Unless specified, you should assume that your arabesque is meant to be at this height, which is already quite challenging.

ร€ la grande hauteur

โ€˜ร€ la grande hauteurโ€™ refers to going above 90ยฐ. If required, the teacher or the choreographer will specify that this is the desired height. Donโ€™t assume otherwise.

ร€ la demi hauteur

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We tend to emphasize and value only arabesque ร  la hauteur or ร  la grande hauteur. ร€ la demi hauteur is 45 degrees, no more, no less. Itโ€™s not because itโ€™s low that itโ€™s not challenging. If you apply all your knowledge of turnout and arabesque technique, then an arabesque ร  la demi hauteur feels like a lot of work.

Make time to practice arabesque ร  la demi hauteur, use it when you feel tired or experiencing back or neck pain, and youโ€™ll soon see the difference in your overall technique. Thereโ€™s a refresher on arabesque technique, and a 3 weeks program of exercises to Improve your arabesque in our VOD website.

Iโ€™ve always been amazed by how pretty my teachersโ€™ low arabesques look like. I remember telling myself: โ€œtake notes here, a low arabesque can be more impressive than a higher arabesqueโ€.

A terre

Meaning โ€˜on the floorโ€™. This is used to describe a movement where the gesture foot remains on the floor.

For an arabesque, it is usually simply called a dรฉgagรฉ derriรจre (tendu back).

Pretty is pretty, no matter how high

A beautiful arabesque is a matter of energy and intention. Give direction to every parts of your body to be fully present and give life to this powerful position. Understand itโ€™s purpose in your exercise and choreography and transcend the position.

Notice how Margot Fonteyn made little use of a high arabesque which she found inappropriate in some cases. What matters the most is that your lines and the distribution of your body parts create a harmonious position, this is why itโ€™s called an arabesque. It takes its name from the art of interlacing lines, lace-like figures and calligraphy.