The ballet position "Attitude" was inspired by Giovanni Da Bologna's statue of Mercury. In ballet, the position shows the same grace and elegance that you see in the statue, however, the ballet leg position is slightly higher. As with many ballet positions, the torso, arms and head are calm and elegant, whilst the lower body is pushed to its maximum.
The correct position for the attitude derriere is where the body is supported on
one leg with the other lifted behind, the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees, turned out with the knee higher than the foot. The corresponding arm is raised above the head while the other arm is extended to the side.
The difficulty with the position is keeping the leg in the correct 90-d
egree angle and the knee higher than the foot. Try not to rotate too much in the hip to perform this. There is a tendency to lift the hip too much, which alters the alignment of the body. You should try not to lean forward too much in order to raise the leg higher. Obviously, there will be a shift and tilt in the lower back to allow the leg to raise but try to keep the body as upright as possible.
The word "attitude", however, has many meanings.
Attitude is a position, a
posture, and a state of mind.
at-ti-tude / n 1. POSTURE
2. a mental position or feeling in regard to a fact or about something.
3. a position of the body implying an action or mental state.
