It’s not a retiré, its not an arabesque, it’s an… attitude! Attitude comes from the Italian word ‘attitudine’ which means ‘a way of holding the body’. Fun fact! Carlo Blasis (1803 – 1878) is credited with creating this position, inspired by Giambologna’s statue of Flying Mercury (1580); in this, the dancer’s working leg is raised and extended to the back but bent at the knee.
There are a number of variations of this pose – the attitude can be performed devant, a la seconde or derrière, the supporting leg can either be bent or straight, as well as on flat, demi-pointe or full pointe. Depending on the positions of the feet and the body, the pose can have many different looks!
Here are some exercises to better understand where this movement should come from and to strengthen the appropriate areas that help improve each position.
Attitude Devant – Floor Exercise
1. Lie on the floor with both legs stretched in front of the body, feet pointed.
2. Rotating both legs to a turned out position, flex the feet.
3. Point the right foot and take it up to a turned out passé position.
4. Lengthen the leg to an attitude devant position.
5. Rotate leg to a parallel position.
6. Return to a turned out attitude. Repeat this rotation 4 times.
7. Take the pointed foot back to a turned out passé position.
8. Slide the toe down the leg until it is completely stretched with a flexed foot.
9. Repeat on the other side.
As you lie on the floor with your back fully supported, it is important to keep both hip bones glued to the floor and your lower abdominals activated. This exercise will help us understand that our legs can rotate freely without any movement in the hips. We want to avoid gripping the muscles in the hip and groin area such that they restrict the movement and prevent the working leg from sufficiently rotating outwards to arrive at our optimal line.
Attitude Devant – Standing Exercise
1. Stand facing the barre in classical first position.
2. Lift the right leg and place it on the barre laying the knee and lower part of the leg flat on the barre. Foot should be pointed. Make sure that the shoulders and hips are facing square to the barre.
3. Demi plie (1 2), straighten the supporting leg (4 5), rise (5 6), lower the heel (7 8).
4. Repeat all 8 counts.
5. Lift the leg off the barre, maintaining the position (1), hold (2 3), lower the leg back to the barre (4).
6. Repeat these 4 counts 4 times.
6. Repeat entire exercise on the other side.
All attitude positions are executed standing on one foot. In this exercise, the raised leg is supported on the barre but once the leg is lifted off the barre, we can clearly feel what muscles are needed to achieve a better attitude devant. It is helpful to emphasise the use of the hamstring to lift the leg and the quadriceps to control the lowering of the leg back to the barre.
Attitude Derrière – Floor Exercise
1. Sit on the floor with the front leg in attitude devant and the back leg in attitude derrière.
2. Place hands on the floor slightly in front of you. Make sure hips and shoulders are facing squarely to the front. (It is helpful if this exercise can be done facing the mirror).
3. Lift back leg off the floor (1), hold (2 3), lower the leg back to the floor (4).
4. Repeat 8 times. Make sure that the ribcage does not displace sideways when the back leg is lifted off the floor.
5. Take the arms to 4th position in opposition over the head and repeat the exercise 8 times.
It is important to understand the necessity for our back muscles to be activated to be able to hold and make a beautiful shape and line. Some dancers might experience some level of discomfort in the lower back area when doing this exercise but unless you are experiencing a stabbing sort of pain, this is normal and part of the strengthening process. If you have lower back problems or are weaker in this area try doing this exercise with the hands on the floor and halving the number of repetitions.
An excellent stretch to follow this exercise is to sit on your heels and stretch your arms forward so that your chest is flat on your legs. Breath deeply and hold for a few minutes. Remember to always stretch after this type of concentrated movement.
Attitude Derrière – Standing Exercise
*Similar to the attitude devant standing exercise but performed with an additional barre behind you (or chair or flat surface of appropriate height).
1. Stand facing the barre, feet in classical first.
2. Lift one leg and place it behind you with the knee and lower part of the leg flat on the barre, foot pointed.
3. Demi plie (1 2), straighten the supporting leg (3 4), rise (5 6), lower the heel (7 8).
4. Repeat these 8 counts.
5. Leg slightly off the barre (1), hold (2 3), lower back to the barre (4)
6. Repeat this 4 times.
7. Repeat entire exercise on the other side.
This exercise is also best done facing the mirror to ensure you are not displacing your ribcage and that the hips are not lifting. It is also helpful to have the support of the barre so that we can concentrate on feeling the lift from the hamstring and inner thigh muscles. By taking care not to grip our muscles, we can soon achieve that effortless lift and beautiful lines.
Again, a good stretch is important after doing this exercise. Rounding the back over the legs in plié can relax our back muscles and with deep breaths, help to relieve tension in the lower back.
And there you go! Keep in mind that everyone’s attitude will look a little different depending on our unique anatomy, strength and flexibility. Hopefully these exercises are useful and help you along your ballet journey – let’s bring our positive attitudes to the studio!
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