Anatomy of an Good Audition Arabesque
Performing a beautiful Arabesque en Pointe for audition is difficult. You have to get your feet, legs, torso, turnout, hips, hands, arms, head, and smile all in position when the photographer captures the image. What follows below is a discussion of the things we try to help you achieve with your Arabesque - DON'T fret about this in advance, we will work with you to do the best you can at your current level.
Both of the Arabesques below are beautiful. There are many forms an Arabesque can take and none of them are wrong. However, most schools and companies want to see you perform a simple Arabesque with Classic lines to the best of your ability.
An Arabesque with Classic lines
A good Arabesque starts with the standing foot "Turned Out"
The standing leg should be straight and perpendicular to the floor, not leaning forward or back
The hips should be Facing Forward (Closed), not Open to the camera
Notice with the Closed hips the torso looks longer and the waist slimmer.
The Torso should be upright with the chest turned squared forward "Closed" (not Open toward the camera)
Hips and Torso Open/Closed sample
The lifted leg should be Turned Out, straight, and not too high
The foot should be Straight out or Winged up
The Arms should form a line from fingertips to fingertips, and be finished with beautiful ballet hands
The Head should be lifted high and add a smile to make this all look effortless
To summarize, the Standing Foot should be Turned Out, the Standing Leg should be straight and perpendicular to the floor, the Torso should be upright and Squared to the front, the hips should be Closed/Squared to the front, the lifted leg should be straight and its foot should be straight or Winged Up, Arms should make a clean line with pretty ballet hands to finish the line, the trailing arm and lifted leg should be in alignment, the head should be lifted and relaxed, and a smile completes the pose..
