Attitude Ballet

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Jacklyn Dougherty

Attitude [a-tee-TEWD]. A particular pose in dancing derived by Carlo Blasis from the statue of Mercury by Giovanni da Bologna. It is a position on one leg with the other lifted in back, the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees and well turned out so that the knee is higher than the foot. The supporting foot may be a terre, sur la pointe or sur la demi-pointe. The arm on the side of the raised leg is held over the head in a curved position while the other arm is extended to the side. There are a number of attitudes according to the position of the body in relation to the audience: for example, attitude croisee, attitude effacee, attitude de face.

Attitude a deux bras [a-tee-TEWD a duh brah ]. Attitude with two arms. The same position as the Blasis attitude but with both arms en couronne (raised above the head).

Attitude a terre [a-tee-TEWD a tehr ]. Attitude on the ground. The arms are in attitude and the foot which is usually raised is extended with the toe pointed on the ground in the fourth position back.

Attitude croisee derriere [a-tee-TEWD krwah-ZAY deh-RYEHR]. Attitude crossed in back. The dancer stands facing a front corner of the stage (croise direction; See floor plan, p. 125) with the supporting leg nearest the audience. The raised leg is held at 90 degrees and crossed behind the body with the knee bent at a right angle and the foot held parallel or slightly below the raised knee. The body presents a three-quarter view to the audience.

Attitude croisee derriere (Cecchetti method) [a-tee-TEWD krwah- ZAY deh-RYEHR ]. In this method, the body is held upright with a straight back, shoulders aligned and well pressed down. The head is turned with the eyes looking up into the palm of the raised hand. See illustration, p. 129.

Attitude croisee derriere (French School) [ a-tee-TEWD krwah- ZAY deh-RYEHR]. The body is bent toward the supporting leg with the shoulder of the raised arm lifted slightly higher than the other shoulder. The head is turned toward the front shoulder.

Attitude croisee derriere (Russian School) [ a-tee-TEWD krwah- ZAY deh-RYEHR]. The body inclines forward with a well-arched back. The shoulders are aligned and pressed down with the head turned toward the front shoulder. The Russian School also uses a high croise position in which the foot is raised higher than the knee.

Attitude croisee devant [ a-tee-TEWD krwah-ZAY duh-VAHN]. Attitude crossed in front. This is the position croise devant, but the raised leg is bent with the knee pressed outward and the foot raised as high as possible. The arms are held en attitude with the high arm on the same side as the supporting leg and the head slightly inclined toward the low arm.

Attitude de face [ a-tee-TEWD duhfahss]. Attitude facing. A term of the French School for an attitude facing the audience.

Attitude effacee derriere [ a-tee-TEWD eh-fa-SAY deh-RYEHR]. Attitude shaded in back. The dancer stands facing a front corner of the stage (efface direction; See floor plan, p. 125). The raised arm and leg are nearer the audience with the leg in a half-bent position so that the audience sees the arched line of the entire leg from hip to toe. The body presents a three-quarter, almost profile view to the audience. The French School terms this the “attitude ouverte” (q.v.).

Attitude effacee derriere (Cecchetti method) [a-tee-TEWD eh-fa- SAY deh-RYEHR]. In this method, the body is held upright with a straight back and the dancer leans slightly back toward the raised leg. The head is turned toward the audience and inclined toward the raised arm.

Attitude effacee derriere (Russian School) [a-tee-TEWD eh-fa-SAY deh-RYEHR]. The torso is tilted forward toward the supporting leg with the back held upright and both shoulders level. The head is turned toward the audience. The Russian School also uses a high efface position in which the thigh is raised so that the foot is held higher than the knee at approximately 135 degrees.

Attitude en tournant [a-tee-TEWD ahn toor-NAHN]. Attitude, turning. An attitude is said to be en tournant when a pivot is made on the supporting leg. See Pirouette en attitude.

Attitude epaulee [ a-tee-TEWD ay-poh-LAY ]. Attitude “shouldered.” This attitude is executed in the same manner as the Cecchetti attitude croisee but is taken facing either one of the upper corners of the room (corners 3 or 4; see illustration, p. 138) and presents a three-quarter rear view to the audience. If the pose is taken on the L foot, the dancer faces corner

Attitude grecque [a-tee-TEWD grek ]. Greek attitude. In this attitude the heel of the working foot touches the ankle or knee of the supporting leg. The toe is pointed and the thigh opened to the second position. One arm is curved opposite the waistline and the arm on the side of the supporting leg is curved over the head. The head is turned in profile and the body leans toward the raised leg. This attitude may be taken en face, croisee or effacee. Pirouettes may also be done in this position but in this case the head does not “spot.”

Attitude ouverte [ a-tee-TEWD oo-VEHRT ]. Open attitude. This is the French School’s term for the attitude effacee derriere. The body leans slightly forward toward the supporting leg with the shoulder of the raised arm held slightly higher than the other shoulder and the head turned toward the audience.

Attitude penchee [a-tee-TEWD pahn-SHAY]. Attitude, leaning. In this attitude the body leans forward with a well-arched back and the raised foot held high.

Autour de la salle [oh-TOOR duh lah sal]. A term of the Cecchetti method. See Salle, autour de la.