First Arabesque

  In this picture Nick is demonstrating First Arabesque. Whether this movement is being executed slowly or quickly, the same movement happens. The supporting leg stands straight and tight, the port de bras is in a first arabesque line, and the working leg will be lifted to first arabesque. The movement of the working leg will be pushed back to tondue derrière, then raised to dégagé, and then raised to arabesque. The balance of Nick's body shows Net Force. A force, in the simplest sense, is a push or pull. It's source may be gravitational, electrical, magnetic or simply muscular. In the sense, Nick is using a muscular force, but with the help of gravity he is able to sustain his leg in the air, and also control it on the way back down. With the many push and pull effects on the body while in First Arabesque, the sum of the forces that act on the body show Net Force.

Attitude Devant

In this photo Johanna demonstrates attitude devant. The young ballerina is balancing on her supporting leg with her working leg raised above 90 degrees devant, or forward. The working leg is slightly bent, the supporting foot is on relevé, or raised, the supporting leg is straight with the muscles tight, and the arms are gracefully floating a la seconde, or to the side. With the support of all of these elements and the correct alignment of the spine, Johanna is demonstrating physics by showing center of gravity. All 103 pounds of body weight are balancing upon one single center point, shown here as the ball of her foot.