An experienced ballerina, through her grace and execution of perfect technique, can make even the most difficult of ballet combinations look easy. Such is the combination movement of the "arabesque pirouette." This is two ballet movements, the arabesque and the pirouette, combined into one beautiful ballet dance movement. Use the following as a guide in learning execute the arabesque pirouette.
Instructions
1. Practice doing an arabesque. Find your starting position, which will be the fifth position in ballet: feet crossed tightly together in front with the toes pointed outward and the heels pulled close to the opposite toes.
2. Step forward on the left foot if it's in front. While you do this, bring your left arm up and out forward about shoulder height. The right arm goes out to the right side and the right leg is extended with a straight ballet leg and pointed toe to the rear. The back right leg lifts up while the body stands tall, with the hips forward and the legs in alignment, not opened up.
3. Brush up on your ballet pirouette. Start in fourth position, with your feet spread open about two feet from a fifth position as described above. Bend your knees to make this a fourth position in plie. If your right foot is in front, the toe will be facing directly to the right. The arms are circled to the right. Keep your hips forward and your left leg or the rear leg extended to the back with the toes pointing to the left.
4. Prepare to lift up on your right toe while turning to the left. The position of your arms and placement of your feet give you the preparation to make the pirouette turn. When you pull up into the turn, circle your arms together, finger tips almost touching, like you're hugging a large delicate balloon. Also, your left leg bends at the knee and the pointed toe is placed at the knee area of the right leg while completing the turn.
5. Land your pirouette by placing the left leg back behind the right or your supporting leg. The arms become relaxed in a downward beginning pose. Of course, the pirouette can be from either side.
6. Put your arabesque and your pirouette together as a combination movement. Which way you turn in your pirouette will depend on which leg and foot you stepped out on with your arabesque. If you step forward into your arabesque with your right foot, then you'll end that movement in the fourth position to start the pirouette with your right foot in front.
7. Study the technique of both the arabesque and the pirouette and go with the instructions of your dance director as to how the connection for the combination movement is executed. The more you practice, the smoother your transition from the arabesque directly into the pirouette will be.
