Attitude
Attitude
Pronunciation: a-tee-TWED
One of the Original 2014 illustration posters that really kicked off A Ballet Education.
Understanding the position
The position of the body that was created by Carlo Blasio from the statue of Mercury by Giovanni da Bologna. This position is characterized by standing on a straight supporting leg, and a bent or relaxed knee to the back. Originally prescribed as the bend of the working knee at 90 degrees and the supporting foot either à terre, sur la demi pointe, or sur la pointe. Usually, the position has one arm above the head causing the position to make the eye move in endless circles, going from the bottom to the top of the dancer, then over the head and down the back, towards the foot, and back up to the arm.
Fortunately, different pedagogies teach different approaches and lines. It is like the difference between at a Matisse and a Rembrandt. Same tools, same technique different outcome. This is important because not all body types are flattered in all pedagogies.
These are some of my notes on the different styles of Attitude Derriere or the American slang: attitude back.
In my head, there are five different approaches to attitude back.
The five styles are: Cecchetti and French, Balanchine, Russian, Royal Ballet (English), and for those who are lucky enough to be hyper-mobile.
Each of these are technically correct, but based on two things- how the lines curve and intersect, how your center is placed and weighted against the tipping of your pelvic cradle.
Cecchetti (Italian) and French styles of attitude
The two are closely related, as Catherine Medici of Florence brought ballet to the French court. So of course, the two are related and similar. These schools of thought are probably the most classical position relating to the origins of the position existing in today's world.
Ideally, both the standing and working leg are turned out, but the working leg (the leg going into attitude) will shift within the hip joint. The femur head basically roles forward towards the front flipping the retiré position horizontally and back.
Ideally, there is no tipping in the pelvis, and tension is created by the working knee pressing up, while the lower leg's turnout rotates downward. The lower portion of the leg is slightly opened to give a curved spiraling line. The height of the attitude comes from how far you can rotate the femur head forward to achieve the line. As the femural head rocks forward the retiré then flips and shifts directed by the knee and supported by the sartorius and moves behind the spine. The foot gradually opens through the passé into the cou-de-pied distance and length.
Balanchine
When in doubt, turn it out. The Balanchine attitude is basically, "How much turnout do I have, and how strong are the backs of my legs. I have had numerous different Balanchine teachers and they all have their own take on the attitude back... Like how crossed is too crossed... But one teacher made it pretty clear: You take your passé, flip it and push your knee behind your spine. Don't every open the lower portion of your leg, and support from the hamstring, not the sartorius. If you basically take your passé, flip it, and shove it over. Your foot no matter what will be over crossed to the other side... Unless you have a short tibia or a wider torso. The position is extremely hard on the back because ideally the same concept of letting the femoral head roll forward and outwardly rotating the femur behind you. This creates a perfect perpendicular shape from the side but creates the elongated spiral through your back. If you are hyper-mobile you can separate the hips easily from your spinal chord, but for most, this position has to be cheated with the tipping of the pelvic cradle.
Russian/Hyper-mobile
This line is modified because the center line is now based on your back in correlation to the front of your standing leg. The Russian line is extremely open, unlike the Balanchine line closing it from the retiré. Russian attitudes, the height is measured by the working foot. This allows the pelvis to tilt forward, the knee to slightly turn in and the attitude leg to go much higher. Unfortunately, you have to have a very flexible lower back, or else the line and center of gravity get distorted.
At many elite schools, because the bodies are hand picked, the hyper mobile line seems much more common.
There is this correction in ballet that is often given when doing arabesque, to move up and forward. This sometimes will create an uncomfortable line, where the body is leaned forward like superman, or a crunched neckline.
The idea of up and forward is based that your upper and middle back remaining completely straight up without compromising the ribcage or neck and shoulder line and moving that rigid position forward in space.
You move your back line to be slightly in front of the standing leg line to counterbalance within the pelvis. Once the pelvis is centered, your body weight is now half and half, and depending how flexible your back is, you can tilt as far as you want to get into a hyper-mobile attitude position.
The further your hips tilt or pour over, you have to create more space in between the pelvis and ribcage to allow your center of gravity to be balanced without straining your knee or ankle. Additionally these lines have the knee crossing behind the working sides shoulder blades.
English
This line uses the hip tilting to the full advantage. Royal Ballet students tip their hips completely forward in arabesque or attitude while remaining completely square. In theory it is a very pure line, however not all bodies can achieve this line.
This line allows for two major things, the first is that when you tip your hips you aren't concentrated on the femur head rotating forward, and for a lot of people that is a hard sensation to feel. This makes the arabesque more pelvis and back focused.Once your hips are tilted forward, your working legs has a ton of freedom to turn out, even at 90 degrees it's pretty hard.
The second major pro to this line, is it makes your legs look incredibly long. As the pelvis tipping forward adds a good 8 or more inches to your working leg line. It basically creates the leg line from the natural waist to the end of the foot versus other attitudes going from the hip joint to the toe.
Additionally, once the hips are tilted forward at 90 degrees, the leg is free to hit or maximize height of the working leg.
Attitude croisée derrière
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD krawh-ZAY deh-RYEHR
Translation: attitude crossed in the back
Attitude effacée derrière
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD eh-fa-SAY deh-RYEHR
Translation: attitude shaded in the back
Italian, Russian, French, Balanchine
Attitude croisée devant / Tire-bouchon
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD krawh-ZAY duh-VAHN / teer-boo-SHAWN
Translation: attitude crossed in the front, like a corkscrew
A lot of teachers will just say attitude front, many Russian teachers will refer to the position as tire-bouchon, but the most important thing to remember is this position is well over crossed.
Demi-Attitude
Pronunciation: duh-MEE-a-tee-TEWD
Translation: Half attitude
Attitude à deux bras
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD a duh brah
Translation: Attitude with two arms
This position basically refers to attitude with two arms up, or creating high fifth. However, the position is described as the Blasis attitude, with arms raised above the head.
Attitude à terre
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD a tehr
Translation: attitude on the ground
Many people will now call this position B plus, however, this position is more common in the romantic ballets, creating a very soft feminine line.
Attitude en promenade / Tour lent
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD ahn prawm-NAD
Translation: attitude walking
When a slow turn is either made en dedans or en dehors in the attitude position. This is the same thing as what many English teachers refer to as tour lent.
Attitude en tournant
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD ahn toor-NAHN
Translation: attitude turning (same as pirouette en attitude)
Attitude épaulée
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD ay-poh-LAY
Translation: attitude “shouldered”
This difficult position requires a very flexible upper back, and many try to take a photo in the position. It is attitude with the shoulders opened and crossed creating a very wide and spiraled position.
Attitude Ouverte
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD oo-VEHRT
Translation Open Attitude
This refers to the working side being more open and lifted, and the upper body being more forward. This position is the position that is probably most commonly taught, but it is a very stylized line.
Attitude Penchée
Pronunciation: a-tee-TEWD pahn-SHAY
Translation: Attitude leaning
In this position the body leans forward and the back is arched quite hard, creating the hyper-mobile position.
