Anh's Beginner Ballet Class #7

Posture comes first, then the leg patterns, in this ballet class of barre and center work. Keep the arms simple, held en bas or à la seconde, and add port de bras and head coordination once the legs are secure. Try the simpler version before the harder one.

The two arabesques are the focus. In first arabesque the arm behind matches the leg behind. In second arabesque, the opposite arm. The class also builds toward the assemblé soutenu en tournant: it begins as a tendu soutenu at the barre and ends in a turn.